First Time Charm
by Aownr1669
Summary: The group is joined by a woman who is able to fill a gap in one of the members' lives.  Rated M for language and eventual graphic smut.  Daryl x OC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: You know I can't stand it! Daryl and Hallie revisited. Forget everything you've ever read until now. This one's dedicated to NR, because I still am not buying his theory about Daryl, but I'm gonna give it a shot.**

**Chapter 1**

Shane leaned on his shotgun and looked at the woman who stepped out from behind Daryl. She was tiny. Her clothes were bloody, smeared with mud, badly fitting. There were scratches on her arms and face. Her hair was tucked under a stained baseball cap with strands wildly sticking out of the opening in back and around her face. Here eyes were wild and she surveyed everyone with a mixture of what Shane assumed was fear and mistrust. Watching your two friends get eaten by walkers only to be found by Daryl Dixon and hauled back to a group of people you don't know had to be frightening. Hell, running into Dixon alone was probably enough to make any girl pee her pants.

"What were you doing in town?" he asked with more than discernable suspicion in his voice. The girl looked at him, eyeing the writing on his cap, her eyes moving to the small sheriff's department crest on his dirty t-shirt. He was tan, very muscular, his biceps rippling as he fiddled nervously with his ball cap. His face was rugged, handsome, with dark eyes and dark hair. Hallie thought he looked like a wrestler and her gut told her that it was a safe bet that he was not entirely to be trusted. The kind of cop that would pull you over on a deserted road and would forget about writing that ticket if you were "real nice" to him.

"Getting supplies." she said. "Although I'm sure you'd call that looting, Officer."

"What happened to you?"

"We ran out of water and food. Couldn't find much of anything in any of the cars along the highway so we had to come into town. Jules-my friend Julia-got hurt and we were surrounded trying to get her out of there. They...we..." The woman was struggling to speak and keep it together.

"Ok. That's enough. There'll be plenty of time to talk later. Right now, we need to get this young lady some food and something to drink." Lori butted in, sensing how tenuous the girl's hold on her composure was. She noted that Lori looked at the cop with a fair amount of disgust.

"And a bath. I'll bet you'd like to get cleaned up." Carol spoke up, moving to the girl and putting her arm around her.

"That would be really nice. " she said.

"What did you say your name was, Miss?" Shane asked.

"She didn't." Daryl said flatly.

"Hallie...McAllister." she said, her eyes moving between Daryl and Shane, who were now glaring at each other. Wow. Lots of tension going on in this group, she thought to herself.

Carol and Lori took Hallie to Andrea's tent where they had a few extra supplies stored. Andrea helped find clothing to fit, jeans and a t-shirt, socks, underwear and a bottle of shampoo and bar of soap. "We'll watch out for you while you have a good long bath in the lake. It's pretty cold, but you'll get clean. Dale's getting you something to eat so you can have a hot meal when you get back." the thin blonde told her.

"Thanks. I don't know how to repay you. This is really nice of you all." Hallie was at a loss for words.

"You don't have to repay us. Don't be silly." Carol said.

XXXXX

Hallie walked back into camp behind Carol and Lori, squeezing the water out of her hair with a towel. They led her to a lawn chair by the low fire and when she sat down, an older man handed her a plate and smiled broadly. There was some meat on it, beans, crackers and canned peaches. The man introduced himself as Dale and told her if there was anything she needed, not to hesitate to ask. Hallie dug in, trying to pace herself and not appear to wolf the whole plate down in a couple bites. It had been three days since she'd eaten anything and she was famished.

Shane watched her walk up to the fire and sit down. She didn't look like the same woman. The clean clothes they'd given her fit her much better. He could now see that even though she was very tiny, she was curvy, with big enough tits and a nice round ass. Her wavy, dark auburn hair was still damp but much longer than he expected, falling around her shoulders and down her back to her waist. She was pretty, too, now that all the dirt and dried blood had been scrubbed off. Big eyes, small nose, pale skin. She looked almost too delicate to survive on her own, especially the way the world was today.

Shane sat down on the car seat that served as a couch, across the fire from where Hallie was sitting. He watched her eat, obviously pacing herself, her eyes moving from person to person as she chewed slowly, deliberately. He looked at her as their eyes met. They were green, deep emerald green, with a fringe of long lashes. She blinked and looked away quickly, then looked at him again, biting her lower lip. Shane looked down and then looked back at her with a small grin, the corner of his mouth turning upwards a bit. Hallie forced a slight smile and looked back down at her plate.

Daryl was standing back by his truck, watching Shane. He didn't trust him, not a bit. Why was he sitting down there now? Shane hadn't shown any interest in any of the women in their group before, well, with the exception of Lori and that was kinda' in the crapper now that her husband wasn't really dead. Daryl had heard them together on several occasions and knew exactly what was going on. Shane had lied to Lori about Rick dying in the hospital so he could move in on Rick's territory. He wanted Lori and Carl for himself. It was easy to see if you just watched Shane at work. Now that Rick was back, the tension between the Lori and Shane was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Poor ignorant Rick was so busy playing the responsible cop he couldn't even see it for himself.

He caught Shane grinning at Hallie. No fucking way. She's in camp for less than two hours and he's hitting on her already. Unfuckinbelievable, Daryl thought to himself. He sat his crossbow down against the truck and walked to the fire, standing behind Shane on purpose. "You're gonna need place ta' sleep." he said.

"Uh, ok." she said, swallowing a mouthful of water from the bottle Carl had given her. She looked sheepish as she wiped her mouth with her fingers and then looked around, finally wiping her hand on her pants leg.

"You can have Merle's bag and sleep in my tent. I got night watch anyway." he said.

"Don't think so, Daryl." Andrea said firmly, shaking her head. "Merle's sleeping bag probably smells like Merle and she'll be just fine in my tent tonight."

"I thought you was sleepin' in Dale's motor home now?" Daryl rubbed his neck, eyes narrowed. "Now yer' sleepin' in yer old tent again?"

"Yeah. Now I am." she said smartly.

"Whatever." Daryl said, turning back to his truck and throwing his hands up. He picked up his bow started walking to his tent. He turned back around quickly, hearing footsteps behind him. "What?" he said quickly when he saw it was Hallie.

"I just wanted to say thanks."

"Fer' what?"

"Well, for saving my dumb ass, for bringing me back here and for offering me a place to sleep."

"Oh."

"Mighty grateful." she said quietly. "I owe you." she said, looking up at him. He was handsome in the evening light. Rugged, sharp features, nice muscles. He had a stubbly goatee and tanned face but his deep blue eyes were his most striking feature. Clear, bright, see-right-through-you blue eyes. It was hard not to stare at those eyes.

"Ya' don't owe me nuthin'." Daryl said, turning on his heel, heading again for his tent.

Hallie stuck her hands in her pockets and walked back to the fire. Fuck, she thought. Guess he's not going to win Mr. Congeniality.

XXXXX

Hallie woke up about two in the morning, sweating. She had been tossing and turning all night, half-waking dreams of what had happened to Julia and Michelle. Thinking she could feel the walkers tugging at her pants legs, clawing at her, grasping for her. Reliving those last days over and over.

She unzipped the tent quietly and climbed out. The air felt cool on her damp skin. She took a deep breath and looked at the sky. It was full of stars. The moon was a thin crescent, barely visible. A movement caught her eye on the edge of the woods. Red. Glowing. Cigarette. She exhaled, relieved somewhat. She went to the seats around the fire and sat down, hoping that the cigarette smoker wouldn't notice her and she could sit in peace and enjoy the quiet. The glow moved slowly towards her until the outline of his shadow became visible in the darkness. It was Daryl.

He walked to the seat opposite and stood, resting the crossbow on the back of the chair. He didn't say a word, just looked at her, staring. Hallie looked back, unblinking as well. Daryl took a step around the chair and stood beside it, still staring. Hallie still watched him, not saying a word.

"What..." he started to say, fumbling for words. Daryl kept his eyes focused on hers and tried not to look down. It was difficult. From where he was standing, it was real obvious that she was chilly. "Can't sleep." he finally said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Got hot." she said. She didn't want to mention the dreams. She knew anyway that he wasn't going to want to talk, so she was at least grateful for that. She didn't know him well, but she was pretty sure Daryl Dixon wasn't the touchy-feely, warm fuzzy type of guy to open up to. Dale, maybe. Daryl, definitely not. Hell, he'd barely grunted at her on the hour-long ride back in his truck earlier in the day and he'd been even less talkative when they got here. "Quiet?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah." he said, his Georgia draw very evident. He scanned his eyes around the perimeter and then focused again on her.

"Good." Hallie stood up. "Goodnight." she said quietly, moving swiftly back to Andrea's tent. She flung herself on the sleeping bag and closed her eyes, angry at herself for not saying more and just as angry at him for the same thing. Angry at herself that she was even thinking about him. Angry that there was something about him that made her heart beat a little faster whenever he was around. She rolled over and punched the pillow, causing Andrea to stir in her sleep. Shit, she thought. Shit shit shit.

Daryl sat there, not knowing what to say as he watched Hallie walk back to the tent. There was a lot he wanted to say. A lot he WISHED he could say. But nothing would come out that didn't make him sound like an idiot, so he took Merle's advice from long ago. Just shut tha' fuck up. Women don't need no conversation-starters. Except this time, Merle's advice simply hadn't worked.

XXXXX

Hallie opened her eyes and remembered where she was. The sun was beating down on the tent and the air inside was hot, stuffy. She rolled over and grabbed the brush that Lori had given her, running it through her hair a couple times, then forced herself to stand and leave the tent.

She looked around. Andrea and Lori were washing dishes and Carol was sitting at a picnic table, reading something to the two kids. Shane and Rick were nowhere to be found. Dale was sitting on top of the r.v. in a lawn chair. He smiled and tipped his bucket hat when he saw her. T-Dog and Glenn were chopping firewood at the timberline. Hallie's heart sank a bit when she realized Daryl was gone as well.

Hallie was greeted by a chorus of "Good mornings" and "About time, Sleepy-heads" from the women. Glenn waved when he saw her. The women told her that they'd made a decision to let her sleep late after Daryl told them she'd had trouble last night and would probably need some extra rest the next few days after what she'd been through.

"He told you that?" she asked, disbelievingly.

"Well, yeah." Andrea said.

"He can talk?" Hallie asked. "Wow. Who would have known."

"Yeah, he can be pretty tight-lipped." Lori agreed. "But he has his moments. Don't piss him off." she warned.

XXXXX

Shane walked up to the circle of the women, who by this time were folding clean laundry and giggling.

"Ladies." he said. "How are we all this morning?" He looked straight at Hallie and smiled. "Miss MacAllister?"

"Fine, thank you, Officer." she said, putting her head down. She was not in the habit of conversing with law enforcement, even if it was the end of civilization. How did he even think that he was still a cop, much less have any authority, she thought.

Andrea giggled as Shane walked off. "Miss McAllister" she twittered, as Hallie shot her a dirty look. She leaned over and whispered in Hallie's ear. "Don't look now, but I think somebody else is checking you out, too." Hallie sat up and continued to fold a man's shirt. She nonchalantly looked around camp, only to see Daryl standing by his truck, cross bow in hand, looking straight at her. She looked down quickly and refolded the shirt. When she looked back, he had disappeared.

XXXXX

Hallie laid back on the wooden dock, her toes in the water. It was cool. Every once in a while, a fish nibbled on a toe, causing her to jerk her foot and make a little wave on the otherwise smooth surface. She must have dozed off briefly because when she opened her eyes, she found Shane standing over her.

"You shouldn't be out here alone." he said, offering her his hand.

She took it cautiously and pulled herself to a sitting position, only to find that it made room for Shane to sit down on the dock behind her. Between her and the shore. Between her and camp. She was a bit uneasy about being alone with him. There was something about him that was not quite right.

"Thanks. Andrea said that you've never had walkers in the water here, so I figured it was safe."

"Nothing's safe nowadays." he said, tossing some grass into the water. "You gotta be real careful."

"Suppose you're right." she said, nodding.

"So," Shane said, bending one knee and leaning back on an elbow, "tell me about Hallie McAllister."

"Not much to tell really. Used to teach kindergarten. Lived in a little apartment in Dolton. Had a cat. Born and raised in Atlanta. Don't smoke, barely drink, don't do drugs. Boring." she shrugged.

"Sounds nice. A good girl." he said. "No boyfriend?"

"Too much work." she said.

"Aww, bet the guys in Dolton weren't happy with that."

Hallie was getting nervous. She shrugged again. "Guess I just never met the right guy."

"Had the opposite problem." he said quietly. "Met the right girl and she was somebody else's."

"Bummer." she said quickly. "Guess it's not an issue anymore."

"No, she's gone now. She's..." he sat up quickly. "just...moved on." Shane stood up and held out his hand. "I need to get back and I can't leave you here by yourself."

"Uh, ok. I think it's time for bed anyway." Hallie took his hand and he pulled her up, putting his other hand on her elbow to steady them on the swaying dock. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." he said, putting his hand lightly on her back as they started up the path. If he'd put his hand on her neck, he'd felt the hairs standing up. As they walked, they were unaware that they were being watched the whole time. The dark-haired man leaning against the tree on the other side of the pond, barely visible. He picked up his crossbow and moved quietly to the camp once they were out of sight. He didn't like it. Seeing Shane try to cozy up to her, it wasn't right. It made his stomach tense and his fingers want to clench up. Daryl didn't want Shane anywhere near Hallie.


	2. Chapter 2

**Aww, you guys! Thanks for the support! You're the best! Remember-I don't own or have any claim to the WD, rinse, repeat.**

**Chapter 2**

Shane made a habit of sitting across from Hallie whenever they ate as a group. It drove Daryl nuts and it made Hallie uncomfortable. She found it hard to eat with him watching her. It was unsettling the way he looked at her. If she'd had her preferences, it would be Daryl sitting across from her. Or beside her. Maybe that would give Shane a hint. Of course, she hadn't told Daryl this. How could she? He'd barely spoken to her other than a grunt or the occasional "Hey" since she got there. She wondered what the deal was with him. Was he that shy or did he just hate women? She didn't get the same vibe from him as from Shane. Apparently she wasn't sending the right message to the right guy. Shane, go away. Daryl, not so much. Somewhere along the line, the wires had gotten crossed.

XXXXX

Hallie sat on the bank of the lake and cast the pole in again, getting another nibble in no time. It was cloudy but the water was calm. She was having pretty good luck catching fish today with some worms that Carl and Sophia had dug up after yesterday's soaking rain. She put the last bluegill on the stringer and decided to pack it in for the day. She walked up the hill and saw Shane sitting on the picnic table, like he was waiting for her.

"Hey, nice haul." he said. "Want me to help you clean them?"

"No, thanks." she shook her head.

"I'm real good with a filet knife." he smiled.

"Got it covered. Thanks anyway." she said, veering in the direction of Daryl's tent. He was sitting outside on a log, fiddling with his cross bow and a handful of bolts. Hallie could see that he was watching out of the corner of his eye. He stood up as she walked up to him, her back to Shane.

"Please help me with these fish." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She held them out to him. "I don't..."

"What?"

"I don't...I would rather not...oh fuck." she said, her eyes pleading with him, the green going dark. "Please, can you just help me clean these damn fish?"

"'k." He shrugged. Daryl reached out and took the stringer out of her hand, holding it up to inspect it. "Can catch 'em but ya' can't clean 'em? Tha' hell's up wi' THAT?"

"No. I can't. I can't eat them either. I hate the taste of fish. Makes me gag."

"Then why'd ya' do it?" he looked at her blankly.

"Put food on the table." she stared into his eyes. "Got me out of camp." she said quietly, glancing over her shoulder.

"Uh-huh." Daryl said, looking around her at Shane. "Come on." he said, walking to a small table on the side of his tent. He plopped the stringer of fish down on the wooden table with a thud. "Let's do this." he said. "You get th' easy job."

"What? No, I, no thanks" Hallie protested.

"Jesus, Woman, ya' gotta' learn sometime. Get over here." he frowned and motioned for Hallie to step over to the table.

"What do you want me to do with them?"

Daryl took a step and they were standing close, side by side. Hallie had forgotten how tall he was, how much he dwarfed her. He reached around behind her and took the knife from the table. He had to bend down and when he did, his face came close to her hair. He breathed in and stopped for a second. She smelled clean, sweet like vanilla,. In a word, she smelled like heaven. Daryl fumbled for the knife handle with his fingers and mumbled "Sorry." standing up again, his eyes focusing on the fish on the table.

"Now what do you want me to do?" she repeated, unaware of the fantasies now playing out in Daryl's head.

"Cut off their heads and tails." he said, handing her the knife.

"Seriously."

"Yeah. Christ, I'll do tha' rest." Hallie wrinkled her nose and started in. When she was done and had a pile of fish parts, she laid the knife down and turned away from him. She put her arm up to her nose and mouth and tried to keep from retching. "God I hate fish." she said. She turned back to him and watched him as he proceeded to remove the scales and filet each fish.

Daryl looked at Hallie. She was pale, like she was about to puke. "Go sit down." he said sternly.

"I'm ok."

"Fine. Clean off tha' table then while I go get a tray fer' these." Hallie looked at the tabletop. It was covered with scales, fish bones, blood and goop. She put her hand over her mouth as her stomach lurched.

She took a deep breath and turned to him, looking in his eyes. He was grinning an evil, smirky grin. Daryl began to chuckle.

"Asshole." she said quietly, the corner of her mouth curling up in a lopsided smile.

"Naw, thems' tha' rules. I clean, you gotta' clean up."

"Can't we just burn the table?" She looked at her red, slimy hands and shuddered. "Dear God." she said, turning her head sideways as the smell wafted to her nostrils, causing her to close her eyes briefly. "I can't believe you got me do this."

Daryl laughed out loud. "Never met nobody what din't like fish."

"Can't stand them. Never have. Have no idea why.."

Daryl stood there, looking at Hallie. He wanted to reach out and grab her, pull her to him and kiss her hard, She looked as good as she smelled, fish-goo aside. It took everything he had not to put his hands on her. He wondered if she could tell what he was thinking. He hoped not. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable, like he was another Shane. Shane. The hair on the back of his neck stood up at the thought of him. He looked over Hallie to where Shane had been sitting. He was still there, watching them, his face hard, eyes narrow and cold. Good. Watch me, Fucker. Watch her smile at me. She's with me, not you, me. She chose to come over here with me.

"Daryl?" her voice broke through his thoughts.

"Yeah." he said, trying to cover his embarrassment.

"Yeah you want to get one or yeah you want me to get one?"

"Huh? Sorry?"

"A tray or something to put these on. We need something to put them on." she said slowly.

"Oh, yeah. I'll get it." he said. "Knife."

"Huh?"

"Give me ma' knife there." He held out his hand. Hallie turned the blade towards hers and laid the handle gently in his hand. Daryl closed his fingers a bit too quickly and her small hand was inside his. Hallie didn't jerk or withdraw it quickly, but looked up at him.

"Thanks." she said softly.

Daryl looked down at their hands and opened his slowly. Her skin was soft and smooth, her hand felt warm in his. He looked sheepish and quickly wiped the blade off on his pants. "Sure." He nodded and turned, walking towards the large plastic tub near the fire that held their eating utensils and dishes.

XXXXX

Shane closed his eyes and took a deep breath as she moved her hand along his thigh. He exhaled slowly as her hand moved to his zipper, pulling slowly, then to his belt, loosening the buckle. She shimmed his pants down to his knees as he sprung loose, stiff, ready for her. "Oh, Officer Walsh, what a big nightstick you have there." she giggled. Hallie leaned forward in the darkness of his tent, her breasts warm and smooth, dragging over his stomach, her nipples hard as she slowly stretched herself upwards towards his mouth. She trailed soft kisses from his abdomen up to his neck as her hand now grasped him gently, squeezing him, moving slowly from the base upwards to the head.

Shane groaned out loud. He was so hard the thought he was going to burst if he didn't get inside her soon. He reached up and pulled her head to him, hands tangling in her hair. He kissed her hard, his mouth bruising, his tongue forcing her lips open, his kisses wild, uncontrolled. He moved his hands to her arms and pulled her on top roughly as Hallie squealed into his neck. Hallie moved backwards and raised her hips, allowing him to enter her in one complete thrust. She moaned as Shane man-handled her ass, kneading, squeezing, leaving finger marks as she began to slide up and down, her head thrown back, eyes closed, her hair tangling in his hands. He took the flat of his hand and slapped her ass, making a loud smack. Hallie inhaled sharply and whispered "Shhh... They'll hear you."

Shane's breathing was shallow now, it caught in his throat as he moved her faster on top of him, inching closer to the edge. Hallie began to whine softly with each thrust, her hands on his chest to steady herself as she rocked her hips. Shane felt his balls tighten and heard Hallie let out a low growling sound as she arched her back and moved her hands to his shoulders to grip him tightly. He could feel she was as ready as he was.

A coyote yipped on the edge of the woods and brought Shane to a conscious state. His eyes snapped open and he sat up on his elbows, looking around frantically. "Fuck!" he swore. "Fuck!" It took him a second to register he had been dreaming. It took him a second longer to realize that the dream had given him a raging hard-on that was straining the crotch of his pants painfully. "Motherfuck." he whispered, collapsing back on the cot, his hand moving to unzip his pants. Shane finished quickly and quietly, shuddering as his release came upon him. The only sound, other than his halted breathing, was the faint whisper of her name as he came.

XXXXX

Hallie laid down two cards and Dale groaned. Andrea smacked the table and gave a little whoop. "Gentleman, that does it. Ladies win again!"

"Not fair!" protested Glenn. "That last hand, uh-huh, I'm contesting this."

"How is it not fair, you flippin' DEALT, Glenn!" Hallie grinned. "You just got schooled. By girls."

"Yeah, and one of 'em's a blonde." Lori chimed in, goading Glenn.

"I still think they're cheating. Counting cards or something. Secret signals. They gotta be."

Shane walked up to the table. "I think you may just be a sore loser, there, Glenn." he nudged the Korean kid. Glenn got up and said his good-nights and Shane pulled out the chair, sitting himself next to Hallie, who busied herself picking up the cards and shuffling the decks together.

"So, Hallie. How is it you're so good at Spades?" he leaned over. She could smell the sweetness of alcohol on his breath.

"College. We had tournaments in our dorm." she said, without looking at him. Her eyes searched for Daryl, who was not sitting in his usual spot on the edge of the fire pit. There was no familiar glow of a cigarette near his tent now, either.

"Well, you're pretty good there. Must have won a lot of tournaments, I reckon." he said, his foot moving under the table, brushing against hers.

"A few." she said, slowly moving her foot away. "I think I'm going to turn in." she said, standing up. "I'm beat."

"Hard work doin' all that fishin'. " Shane said, standing up as well, almost knocking the chair over. "Maybe tomorrow I'll go with you. Keep you company.

"She's busy." a voice from the darkness said quietly. "She's goin' huntin' wi' me."

"No shit?" T-dog said. "Daryl, you don't never take nobody with you." he shook his head.

"So?" Daryl said, stepping to the table, moving behind Hallie.

"I don't believe you." Shane said, glowering at Daryl. He was sweating now, despite the cool evening air. "You ain't taking her hunting at all. You stay the fuck away from her."

"Shane?" Hallie said. "What are you doing?"

"He's lying." Shane said, putting his finger square in the middle of Hallie's collarbone. "We all know it. You ain't going nowhere with him, least of all the woods, by yourselves."

"Who and where I go to the woods with isn't really an of your business, is it?" she said, batting his finger away. "You need to go to your tent. You're drunk. I can smell it on you." Daryl put his hand on the small of her back, ready to grab the fabric of her hoodie and jerk her away in case Shane did something stupid.

Rick came out of his tent upon hearing the raised voices. "Shane." he said in a quiet voice. "Think you've had enough."

"I'll be the judge of that." Shane turned quickly, facing Rick. "You don't tell me what to do."

"Shane." Rick said again his voice low, calm. "I think you need to go to bed."

Shane turned around and looked at Hallie. "Don't trust him. He's fuckin' dangerous. Don't trust him, Hallie." he hissed and headed quickly to his tent, a bit wobbly.

Daryl's hand was still on Hallie's back as she turned around. When it moved to her side as she turned, he quickly dropped it and put it in his pocket. Hallie stepped closer and put her hand on his stomach. It as hard, solid through his thermal shirt. She looked up to meet his gaze and nodded as their eyes met. "Thank you so much." she said quietly. "I don't know what's up with him."

Rick walked over to Hallie and Daryl. "I don't know what's going on with him. Hallie, maybe you'd better keep your distance until we get things straightened out. '

"I thought I had been, Rick." she said quietly, her tone low to keep Shane from overhearing.

"Well, maybe you two ought to get out of here tomorrow" he said. "Let things die down a bit."

Daryl looked at Rick. "He gonna' get tha' picture?" Daryl was biting the cuticle on his thumbnail again, looking at Rick with a quizzical look. "You gonna' get through ta' him?"

"I'll try." Rick said, sighing. "This isn't like him at all. He hasn't been himself for a while now." he said, turning and looking at Lori.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh, shucks, y'all, thanks! You're too kind. NR, if you're out there, this is not easy to do!  
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**(OK Sara...here you go!)  
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**Chapter 3**

Daryl held the crossbow level and scouted the area. The noise he heard originally had shifted positions to the right but was still far enough away he couldn't be sure. He motioned for Hallie to move towards him. She looked at him, her eyes wide, stepping slowly, quietly. He was amazed at how she could move so quiet for a girl. She didn't talk didn't complain about being tired or cold or wet or hungry, she didn't even breathe hard. Instead, she followed his every move like a shadow keeping two paces behind. He had to admit, the ruse to shut up Shane had been one thing, actually getting her out in the woods and seeing how she handled herself was a pleasant surprise.

He made a pointing motion to her, indicating they were going to continue on. She nodded her head and followed him quietly. Daryl hadn't heard the noise for a few minutes. They arrived at their destination, a makeshift tree stand that Daryl had built out of logs and branches. It was about 20 feet up in an old oak. There was a crude rope ladder dangling down.

"Up." he said quietly, pointing to the stand.

"Will it hold both of us?" she whispered.

He nodded and pointed up again. Hallie slung her scoped rifle over her shoulder and stuck her foot in the bottom rung of the ladder, pulling herself up until she reached the stand. He tried not to stare at her ass as he watched her move higher. Daryl followed and climbed to the stand quickly. He sat down on the rough log platform and looked out.

"You made this?" she whispered. Daryl nodded. "Awesome." she mouthed, smiling. Her smile faded as they both heard a scraping sound in the leaves, followed by a low moan. Hallie shut her eyes and Daryl watched as a shudder passed through her. She opened them and looked at him as the sound came closer. Daryl looked to the edge of the clearing and saw two walkers moving towards the tree, their gate awkward, lumbering.

Both had been males. Their clothes hung in tatters, flapping as they walked. One wore a safety orange vest splattered with blood. One of his arms was missing and the stump above his elbow was jagged, bone sticking out, rotten flesh clinging to the bone, muscles and tendons dangling, chunks of flesh still attached there as well. The other had at some point been dressed in cammo pants and matching heavy button-down shirt, his eyes black and hollow, a large section of his jaw and chin missing, leaving a gaping hole, oozing blood and matter, infection bringing maggots. The smell from the two rancid, rotting corpses wafted upwards and Hallie slowly put her hand to her cover her mouth and nose.

The pair stopped just under the tree stand, noses up, catching the scent of the fresh meat above, grunting and moaning. The walkers could smell Hallie and Daryl overhead, but couldn't see them because of the solid floor of the stand. Daryl looked at Hallie. She wasn't crying or shaking, just holding her nose. He had just assumed that with being trapped by a ton of them in town, being this close to a couple now would freak her out, but it didn't.

Daryl caught Hallie's eye and looked at his crossbow, pulling his trigger finger to indicate that he was going to take them out. Hallie lowered her eyes and nodded. He stood up slowly and took aim at the first one, the sight of lunch to the two made them frenetic as they caught a glimpse of Daryl, bow drawn. He sent a bolt into the head of the first one. It dropped to the floor of the woods with a heavy thud. Daryl turned and dropped the second one with a similar shot to the head. He lowered the crossbow and looked at Hallie. She had a sideways grin and looked back at him, her eyes gleaming.

"Nice." she said quietly.

"No. Hunting's ruined. Damn deer won't come anywhere near here fer' a while if they smell walkers."

"Shit." she said, her face twisted in a grimace. "Someplace else then?"

"Yeah." he said, starting to climb down. "It's a walk, though."

"I'm up for it." she said cheerfully, waiting for him to finish descending the ladder. Hallie started her climb down and Daryl held the ladder still. She got to about three foot off the ground and he pulled her off by the waist, setting her down gently. Hallie turned around and looked up at him, biting her lower lip unconsciously. "Uhm..." she stammered, looking into his bluer-than-blue eyes. Jesus, say something. "Thanks. Don't forget your bolts there." She looked over at the two downed walkers. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

Daryl just stood there, his hands still on her waist. He could feel the heat rising from her, trying not to look at her chest rise and fall as she breathed. For a split-second, Daryl let his mind wander to what it would be like if he just backed her into the tree and had her right there. His hands roaming all over her, his mouth on every part of her. Hallie moaning his name and wrapping herself around him. He blushed as he let loose of her and stepped back, nearly tripping over the cammo'd walker's leg.

Daryl turned and pulled his bolt from it's head and then moved to the walker with the orange vest. Hallie swallowed and rolled her eyes as it made a sucking wet sound, Daryl's foot on the back of it's head for leverage. "Let's get out of here." she said, shaking her head.

XXXXX

The pair sat silently on a log at the edge of the abandoned cornfield. There was a low slope to the ground and about a quarter-acre of nothing between them and the rustling cornstalks. Perfect place for a deer. Hallie was turned sideways, straddling the log, keeping an eye out behind them while Daryl watched for deer. She watched as a doe came into sight from the left side of the woods, walking cautiously, her ears and tail flicking wildly, keeping alert for any signs of danger. Hallie slowly turned her head to Daryl. He looked down and then back at Hallie. She opened her eyes wider and leaned her head forward a bit, as if to say "Can you not see it?" Daryl looked at her and shook his head slowly again. He mouthed the word "No" and turned slowly back to the field. A second later, as if on cue, two fawns came trotting towards the doe, all spots and gangly legs. Hallie's mouth fell open and made a soft "awww" sound as she exhaled quietly. She watched the mother deer and her offspring wander in and out of the tall cornstalks, chewing here and there, nosing each other and sniffing the wind. The three disappeared. Daryl motioned for Hallie to be quiet and watch. In a few minutes, two bucks came strolling into view, following the same path the doe had taken out of the woods and into the cornfield.

Daryl rose slowly and brought up the bow, aiming at the smaller one. He sent a bolt flying and hit the deer in the chest, dropping it. The other darted deep into the cornfield, snorting, it's hooves crashing through the brittle stalks. Daryl walked up to slowly and sent another bolt into it's heart as Hallie watched from the log. Daryl motioned for her to come down and she did, keeping an eye on the woods behind where they'd been sitting. No telling if there were more walkers and bringing down a deer would mean the scent of fresh blood would be carried on the wind for miles.

Daryl worked fast, field dressing the deer and burying the remains with a small folding camp shovel he had in his backpack. They carried the meat back to camp in plastic bags and hiked quickly, not wanting to linger in the area more than they had to. Daryl handed the meat to Dale and Rick and pulled Hallie aside.

"Need ta' go wash. Now. Get tha' smell off. Wash yer' clothes, too." he said. "Get yer' stuff an' let's go." he said quietly.

"Okay." she said hesitantly. She noticed Shane had come out of his tent. "I'll meet you there." she said. She walked quickly to Andrea's tent and gathered a change of clothes, her soap and shampoo, and a couple towels. When she exited, Shane was standing in front of her.

"We need to talk." he said quietly.

"No, Shane, I need to get this deer blood off me. I'm kinda' in a hurry."

"After dinner then?"

"I guess." she said hesitantly, as she sidestepped him and hurried past, away from camp, down the path to the lake. When she got there, Daryl was dunking his olive-green fatigue pants in the water, squeezing them, trying to get the worst of the gunk out. He was standing in the water up to his waist. In the fading afternoon light, Hallie took in the sight. His arms were thick, heavily muscled. His chest was taught, muscles rippling as he wrung out the heavy material. His waist tapered, flat and ripped with a nice six-pack. The water lapped at his hips and she could see that he'd left his boxers on, gray, knit, clinging to his nicely-shaped butt and damn, but she couldn't see the front.

He looked up and grinned. "S' cold 'til ya' get used ta' it."

Hallie stood there, not knowing what to do. She didn't want to just strip in front of him. Daryl looked at her and motioned for her to come in. When she hesitated again, he shook his head dramatically and turned around, his back to her.

"Better?" he called.

"Much, thanks." she said, stripping off her clothes to her underwear. She stuck her foot in the water and let out a yelp. Daryl started to turn around briefly and then quickly back, but not before he'd had a glimpse of her in her bra and panties, though. Holy shit, he thought. Her white bra was a lacy under-wire kind, plunging in front, revealing all sorts of cleavage and her panties were white as well, cut low in front, hugging her curvy hips and disappearing as they snugged around her perfectly-shaped ass. Hallie waded into the cold water quickly with a sputtering exhale and kept going until she was almost up to her shoulders. "Ok." she said.

Daryl turned around. He could see from her armpits up, her white bra straps rising over her shoulders. Her hair was loose and wet, floating around her arms and back. Her pale skin stood out in the golden light of dusk. She started to move something under the water, her hands invisible, moving in front of her. He realized she was wringing out her shirt and jeans as well. They stood facing each other, wringing, unfolding, scrubbing fabric against fabric for a while until Hallie stopped and held up her shirt. "I think I've about done all the damage I can do.

She turned and walked slowly towards the shore, rising out of the water as far as her butt, the weight of the water in her hair pulling it down straight. Her panties were wet and sheer now, Daryl could see the swell of her cheeks where her butt met the back of her legs, he could make out the divide between her cheeks clearly. He turned away from her, praying that the coldness of the water would win and he would be able to get out without embarrassment when the time came. She threw the clothes on the bank and walked backward into the water once more. Damn damn damn, Daryl thought.

Hallie disappeared under the water and came up, head dripping. She reached for a floating bottle of shampoo and poured some into her hand, flipping it closed and tossing the bottle in Daryl's direction.

"Ain't smellin' like no girl." he protested.

"You won't. It's just shampoo." she said, rubbing her hands together and working the lather into her scalp. It was about the sexiest thing Daryl had ever seen.

"You smell like a girl." he said.

"I AM a girl, Silly." she laughed. "Now use the damn shampoo and stop getting all macho on me."

Daryl flipped the cap and sniffed gingerly. Ok, not so flowery or perfume-y. He squeezed the bottle on his head and began rubbing. Hallie had to dunk herself a lot to get all the soap out and by the time they were finished with the bar soap, it was almost dark.

"You first." she said.

"Nu-huh." he shook his head. "You."

"Turn your back." she insisted. "No peeking this time." Hallie grinned.

"Spoilsport." he laughed, turning around.

Hallie climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel. She was freezing. She dried off and shimmied into her clothes as best she could, still damp, trying to hurry so poor Daryl could get out of the water.

"Ok. Get out now before you freeze." she said, pulling a sweatshirt down. Daryl was already half out of the water, goosebumps visible from twenty feet. Hallie started to turn around. Halfway there, something cold and wet smacked her in the head.

"What the... Daryl. Yuck." she said, turning around to toss his wet boxers back at him. When she did, she saw him pulling up his pants, bare-assed, silhouetted against the sunset, front and back. "Oh...my." she said, pressing her lips together. The concept of shrinkage due to the cold was lost on Daryl Dixon. Hallie looked down, feeling her face bright red. She wasn't sure that Daryl was quite aware of what he'd done or what she'd seen. She was pretty sure, though, that if he looked at her he could see her cheeks glowing.

XXXXX

When they returned to camp, Dale and Glenn were manning the fire and grilling venison steaks for everyone. Rick stood up and handed Daryl and Hallie each a beer. "We'll be sending you two out hunting more often, if this is the result." he laughed. Hallie and Daryl exchanged glances and Daryl grinned, running his hand over his still-damp hair.

Hallie sat down on the bench and Daryl moved to sit beside her. Shane had been standing, leaning against one of the vehicles and turned away, draining his beer and tossing the empty bottle into a plastic can with a loud clatter.

Midway through dinner, Hallie leaned over to Daryl and sniffed. "Mmm." she said quietly. "Your hair smells terrific. Lilacs and..." sniff sniff "...spring rain." Carol heard her and giggled.

Daryl turned to Hallie and glowered at her. "Ya' said.."

"Oh my God, I'm kidding." she grinned, her eyes dancing in the firelight. She leaned in again. "But you really do smell nice." she said whispered. Hallie leaned her head briefly on his upper arm. Daryl looked down at her smiling, oblivious to the knowing glance Andrea and Lori exchanged.

XXXXX

Daryl stood up and looked at his tent. It had been a long time since he'd gotten buzzed off of four beers, but they were warm and everyone was in a good mood. He looked at Hallie, who was leaning back in the seat, legs stretched out.

"I think I'm going to go to bed." she said, yawning. "See y'all in the morning." she said sleepily. She stood up and started to the tent, Daryl walking behind her. She stopped and turned and he almost ran into her. She grabbed his shirt to steady both of them and put her other hand on his stomach. "I had the best day." she said quietly. "Thanks." She raised her head to look at him, thinking he would take opportunity to finally kiss her.

It's not that he didn't want to. Daryl did. Badly. More than badly. He was desperate to. He just couldn't. He was pretty sure that she liked him. She touched him when they talked. He caught her looking at him. She smiled at him whenever she caught him looking at her. She was standing six inches from him now and he was pretty sure that she wanted him to kiss her. But Daryl couldn't.

"Welcome." was all he could manage. With that, he gave her a peck on the cheek and walked quickly back to his tent.

Hallie was dumbfounded. She stood there speechless. Most guys would have taken that opening and had a girl horizontal within minutes. She unzipped the flap and sat down, removing her shoes, reviewing the events of the day. She searched her memory for any faux pas, anything she did wrong, any sign that she'd pissed him off. Could it be possible that Daryl's gay, she mused. No, she didn't think so, she'd caught him checking her out when they were in the pond and he'd looked at her a couple times during dinner like he was going to throw his plate down and start chewing on her instead of the steak. What the fuck, she thought. It's the apocalypse and the last man on earth won't even kiss me goodnight? She crawled into her sleeping bag, frustrated and about half-pissed-off. Within minutes her mind was wandering to how the evening could have ended, the memory of Daryl silhouetted against the evening sky playing in her mind in an endless loop.


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: Rated M for offensive language. Really offensive. **

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**Chapter 4**

Shane sat in his tent, cleaning his gun, the smell of Hoppe's #9 thick and heavy. He had watched them all evening, through dinner and afterwards. Hallie hadn't left Daryl's side so that he couldn't get her alone. He desperately needed to talk to her, to explain. If he could only get her to listen, she'd understand. He had to do something, he had to make her listen to him. It was for her own good. She had no business being around Daryl Dixon. He was just as bad as that meth-head, neo-nazi brother of his and he was bad for her. He would hurt her. Shane was convinced that Hallie was in danger every time she was around Daryl. He had no right to take her hunting, to risk exposing he to walkers, to be alone with her. He had no right taking her to the pond. No right to... He closed his eyes and shook his head. He had no right to do anything with her. Shane trained the shotgun in the direction of Daryl's tent, looking down the barrel and pretending that the tents weren't there, that there was nothing in his way. He took another drink from the bottle on the upturned box that served as a makeshift workbench and grimaced. He picked up the gun again and pretended once more that he had a shot. Once single, clear, perfect shot.

XXXXX

Daryl laid on his back on the air mattress, arms over his eyes. He wasn't crying, just trying to block everything out. He squeezed his eyes, making multi-colored lights flash and dance against the movie screen behind his eyelids. In his mind, Merle was sitting in front of him in a chair, cigarette dangling from his lips, bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand. He took a long drag and then an even longer drink.

_"Ya' fucked up tonight, lil' Brother."_

_"I know." _

_"That girlie wants ya'."_

_"I know." Daryl swallowed. "Maybe. Ya' think so?"_

_"Are ya' fuckin' blind? Ya' had a perfect opportunity ta' get inta' her pants tonight. Couple times! Fuck, she's over there sleepin' alone right now. Prolly thinkin' yer a fag. What tha' fuck's wrong wi' ya'?"_

_"I dunno." Daryl shrugged. "Guess I just wanna take it slow." _

_"BullSHIT! Yer' a Dixon, not a fuckin' turtle. We only got one speed. Balls ta' the wall. Clean in ta' da' bone. Yer lettin' the family down, son."_

_"I know."_

_"For somebody who knows so fuckin' much, ya' sure ain't gettin' laid a lot. When's tha' last time ya' got a hot piece a' ass, anyhow?"_

_"I dunno. "_

_"Oh, ya' know everything else but THAT ya' don't know? Jesus Christ, boy, have ya' EVER got laid?" _

_"Fuck you, Merle."'_

_"That's not a answer."_

_"Of course I have. Lotsa' times. "_

_"I don't believe ya'. Ya' know ya' haven't 'n so do I. Nobody's popped Daryl Dixon's cherry yet 'n that's a fact."_

_"No it ain't neither a fact. Drop it Merle."_

_"I ain't droppin' it. A hand-job from Darlene Bennett in the high school parking lot after homecoming don't count. I ain't droppin' it 'til ya' get busy with that lil' redhead n' do what ya' need ta' do." Merle's face was hard as he stared at Daryl. _

_"And what do I wanna' do, Merle, just tell me, what is it ya' think I wanna' do?"_

_"Ya' wanna fuck her so bad you can't stand it. Ya' wanna' make her scream yer name when she cums. Ya' wanna hit' it sa' hard yer' dick's gonna' explode. What I cain't figure out 's why ya' don't? She's practically beggin' ya for it."_

_"I..." he shook his head. "I can't."_

_"Why the fuck not?" _

_"What if I suck at it? What if I'm the worst lay she's ever had? What if...what if she laughs at me? Merle, what if we do it n' she doesn't wanna see me again?"_

_"Well, Peckerhead, she'd better not be too picky. Ain't 'sactly got too many options, now does she? Fact, if ya' ain't noticed, yer' 'bout her only option ."_

_"There 're other guys around."_

_"What, a chink? A crazy spick cop? A old geezer? A big buck-"_

_"Stop it Merle. Just knock it off."_

_"You want that fer' her, Brother? You want that big bald-headed buck sliding his dick inside her tight lil' twat? S'at what you want?" Merle's lips were curled back in a sickening grin. _

_"No." _

_"You wanna' be the one sliding his dick inna' her?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then git after it, Boy." Merle said, draining the bottle. _

Daryl opened his eyes and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. He sat up and looked around the tent. He hated when he and Merle had little talks like this. Merle'd invariably tell him exactly what he didn't want to hear and he was usually right. Fuck him. Fuck him for knowing. Fuck him for being right. Fuck him for cutting off his own hand and not coming back, for leaving him. "Fuck you, Merle." Daryl said out loud. "You don't know shit."

XXXXX

Shane stepped out from behind the Jeep and blocked Hallie's way.

"We need to talk." he said. "I wanted to talk after you and Dixon' went hunting but we didn't get a chance."

"What do you want, Shane?" she said, shifting the basket of clothes from one hip to the other. "I'm kinda needing to get down to the lake."

"We need to talk. About things. I don't want there to be any bad blood between us."

"There isn't any bad blood between us. There isn't anything between us." she said, firmly.

Shane reached out and grabbed Hallie's arm with his hand. "I need to tell you some things."

"Why?" she said, taking a step backwards. Shane moved with her, still grasping her arm.

"You're in danger. You're hanging around with a dangerous man and you could get hurt."

"What? What are you talking about?" Hallie said, trying to extract her arm from his grip.

"Daryl Dixon. He's dangerous. He's violent, uncontrollable, explosive. He's going to hurt you, Hallie. You need to stay away from him."

"Why would you say that?"

"I've seen him in action. I know what he's like. He has a hair-trigger and he's unpredictable. You're in danger."

"Shane, I'm pretty sure I'm not in danger. Daryl's not going to do anything to me. He's never touched me. If he was going to hurt me, he'd done it yesterday. We were in the woods all day and he was nothing but nice."

"You just haven't seen the wrong side of him. It's ugly and violent. He's gone after people. He and his brother both can't be trusted."

"Well, I'm sure that he probably can say the same thing about you all, given what was done to Merle."

"Hallie, it had to be done." he said shaking his head. "Merle was even more out of control. He was ugly and he made everyone here on edge. He was going to get somebody killed and they had to do what they did."

"Yeah, because chaining somebody to a roof is the only way to deal with an addiction." she spat. "Are we done here, Shane?"

"No, I don't think you're understanding me. What do I have to do to get through to you? You have to stop hanging around him."

"I don't think so. It's the end of the world and you have no authority anymore. I'll spend time with who ever I want. It's none of your business. We're not going to have this conversation again...and by the way, you watching me and talking to me like this makes ME on edge. I only hope Merle comes back because I think I'd like him just fine. Now let me by or I'm going to scream." Hallie narrowed her eyes and took a step forward.

"Hallie, you're making a mistake."

"No, Shane, YOU'RE the one making a mistake. Mind your own fuckin' business."

She moved the basket in front of her and sidestepped him, walking towards the other women at the lake. She sat the clothes down with a jolt and plopped down, frowning.

"Problem?" Andrea said, looking up from the stained t-shirt she was scrubbing with a small brush.

"Nothing a big pointy stick wouldn't take care of." Hallie said quietly.

XXXXX

Daryl drew the knife down the length of the squirrel carefully. "So what's up w' that?"

"What?"

"I don't get it." he said. "Ya' didn't flinch when we 's guttin' that deer but cleanin' a few lil' fish 'bout made ya' hurl. Don't make no sense." he shrugged.

"Nothing to figure out. I just don't like fish."

"Who taught ya' ta' hunt?"

"Foster dad."

"No shit?"

"No shit." she grimaced.

"He nice to ya'?" Daryl said, throwing the skin into a bucket.

"Yeah. We went hunting a lot. Taught me how to shoot...and fish. Real decent guy."

"Why'd ya' leave?"

"Dunno. Got home from school one day and my stuff was packed and on the porch. Caseworker said his wife wanted me out. Thought we were 'too close'."

"So he was tryin' to mess with ya?" he looked at her sideways.

"No. That's the shitty part. He wasn't. He was like a real Dad." Hallie sighed.

"How long?" he asked quietly.

"How long was I in the system?"

Daryl nodded and laid down another squirrel.

"Six on."

"Wow."

"You?"

"About six months. I was 'bout ten."

"How'd you get out?" she asked.

"Old man got out of jail 'n lied. Told fam'ly services Merle was gonna 'take me. Merle was leaving fer' the army. Pretty much on my own 'til he got back couple years later."

"Rough."

"Yeah." Daryl looked at Hallie. She was standing next to him, her hands stuffed in her pockets. Her hair was pulled up in a messy pony tail shoved through the hole in the back of her baseball cap. She looked much younger in that instant. Vulnerable. She looked away from the table, trying to wipe away the tear off her cheek without him seeing.

"Guess it sucked to be us, huh? she said quietly.

Daryl made a grunting noise and threw another squirrel skin in the bucket.

"You ever felt like you belong? Like you were normal?'' she asked.

Daryl threw a rabbit on the table. "Nope." he said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

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**Chapter 5**

The rain beat down on the camp for days. Speculation was that there had been a hurricane somewhere in the Gulf and the storms that started out originally were the feeder bands and the current rainfall was the left-over, post-landfall deluge, complete with winds and heavy lightning. The ground was saturated by the first night and everything that wasn't soaked was covered with mud. The force of the rain kept the group from hot meals; no fire was possible, no wood was dry. Most of the group spent the day crowded into Dale's camper, playing cards and drinking coffee around the small table.

The only two who didn't join the group were Shane and Daryl. Hallie spent time there begrudgingly, playing Spades and trying to remain cheerful. Bottom line was that everyone was tiring of the weather, the lack of something hot to eat, and the sheer togetherness. She was desperate to talk to Daryl, who stayed in his tent even at the urging of the others. She missed him, missed just being near him. Dale loaned her a couple books, which kept her occupied for the most part, but she was easily distracted and found herself looking towards Daryl's tent, wondering what he was doing, what he was thinking about.

About six in the evening, in the middle of a particularly strong storm, thunder crashing and rolling right on top of them, Hallie noticed a flashlight shining on the door of her tent. A hazy circle of light dancing, wiggling, shining between the stabs of lightning. Hallie crawled to the door and unzipped it, peering out, getting damp from the sideways sheets of rain. The light was coming from across the camp. Daryl's tent was open and he was standing inside, holding the flap up with one hand, flashing the light to get her attention. He deposited the flashlight under his arm and motioned with his free hand for Hallie to come over.

Hallie looked up at the sky and grimaced, holding her palm out flat. She shook her head, knowing full well that she had no intention of not going. Daryl motioned again, frowning. Hallie rolled her eyes and held up a finger. She turned and let the tent flap down, disappearing for a minute. She gathered up a jar of peanut butter, a box of crackers, a couple chocolate bars, and some bottled waters and threw them into a back pack. She ran a brush through her hair a couple times and stuck a tube of lip gloss into her jeans pocket. Jerking her sleeping bag off the makeshift bed, she threw it over her head. She stepped outside into the downpour and turned quickly to zip her tent and dashed across the camp towards Daryl's. He was waiting, holding the flap open wide.

"Damn!" she said, as she hopped over the threshold and landed inside. "Is it ever gonna stop raining?"

"Not fer' while, I reckon. Clouds still 're tight."

"My feet are soaked. Mind if I take off my shoes?"

"Nope."

"Nope you don't mind, or nope you don't want me to?"

"Why'd I mind?"

"Just makin' sure." Hallie looked at him. Daryl's eyes were so blue it hurt. They were focused on her as he stood silent and still.

"Sorry I ain't got no chairs." he said quietly.

"Don't mind. Floor's fine." she said. She wadded up the wet sleeping bag and deposited it next to the door, then sat down to untie the laces of her tennis shoes. She looked around the tent. Neat. Small propane lantern hanging from a cord at the apex of the tent. Couple of gray plastic totes. Crossbow and bolts on a small wooden box right next to the door. Air mattress off to one side with sleeping bag and two pillows. Two pair of work boots lined up, open, ready to jump in. Hallie noticed that Daryl himself was barefoot.

"Why ya' not in the mobile home wi' the rest of 'em?"

"Crowded." she shrugged. "Boring." Because you're not there, was what she really wanted to say. "Why didn't you go over?"

"Crowded. Boring." he grinned and sat down on the air mattress. "Gonna getta' wet ass on tha' floor." he said, motioning to the mattress. Hallie looked at him blankly. "Oh, just git over 'ere." he said, rolling his eyes. "I ain't gonna touch ya'."

"Well in that case, I'll be leaving then." Hallie said, scarcely believing it had come out of her mouth. She turned, pretending to get up.

Daryl laughed out loud, reaching out a hand to catch her arm. "No ya won't." he said, pulling her down. He paused for a second to let Hallie catch her balance and adjust herself. "What's in tha' bag?" he said, pointing to her back.

"Dinner. Peanut butter. Crackers. Stale chocolate."

"That'll go good wi' this." Daryl reached around behind the pillow and pulled out an open bottle of whiskey.

"Oh, yum. Peanut butter, Hershey Bars and Jack." she giggled. "Redneck heaven."

"Hey." he said, pretending to be offended. "Want a shot?" he asked.

"Uhm, no thanks. Not right now. Looks like you've had a couple already." she said, squinting at the bottle

"Yeah, a couple." he nodded. "It's all I got to drink."

"So is that how you got up the courage to get me over here?" she said with a sly smile. Hallie was trying to walk the thin line between being flirty and letting him know that she knew he was a bit...hesitant.

Hallie's question caught Daryl off guard. "No." he objected. "I was...thirsty."

"Uh-huh." she grinned. "If I had said no, would you still be drinking now?"

"Prolly. Yeah." he looked at his hands. Hallie wasn't sure if the slight red color to his cheeks was the Jack Daniels or embarrassment. Crap. Went to far with it, she thought to herself.

"Well, in that case, have another drink, Daryl. Don't let me stop you." she said, catching his eye. Daryl looked at Hallie. She was smiling, the corners of her deep green eyes crinkling a little, her lips pursed together, the corner of her mouth drawn up in a little smirk. His heart did a weird little stutter inside his chest.

"I will if you will." he said, handing the bottle to her.

Hallie handed it right back. "Daryl, I can't." she shook her head. "I don't drink."

"You Pena'costall r' sumpthin'?"

Hallie laughed out loud. "Oh my God, no!" she said, putting her hand over her mouth to dampen the gales of laughter. It took her about a minute to stop laughing to the point she could even speak. "No, Daryl. I don't drink"

"Not at all?"

"Not any more. Let's just say I was real good at it for a while and then I got real bad at it. So now I don't. At all."

"So, what, yer' a-"

"Yes, Daryl, My name's Hallie and I'm an alcoholic." she repeated like she had so many times before. "I've been sober for about four years now."

"That's why ya' didn't drink none 'a tha' beers that night we got tha' deer?" he nodded. Wonder'd why ya' gave me yers."

"Yup. Can't do it."

"So, nothin?"

"Nope."

"Even now? Wi' tha' world turn'd upside down? Yer' still clean?"

"Yeah. Especially now. I'd be walker food real quick if I started drinking again. Reeeeeal damn quick." she said quietly.

"Wow." he said. "Feel kinda' bad for temptin' ya."

"You were not tempting me with that bottle in the least, Daryl Dixon." Well, at least now you're being truthful about that, Hallie's inner voice said. Those blue eyes, those biceps, that little mole near the corner of your mouth, yeah. Your Jack Daniels, no. Definitely not.

XXXXX

Shane watched from the small plastic window of his tent as Hallie sprinted across the camp into Daryl's. "Fuck!" he said between gritted teeth. "No, Hallie, no." He'd been watching her tent all day. He knew that she'd had breakfast in the mobile home and then left and spent the day by herself. Shane had convinced himself that she was taking his words into consideration, that she was thinking about what he'd said. He knew that she was smart, she would come around if she just thought about everything. The topic of Merle and Daryl surely had come up while she was in Dale's camper with Andrea and Carol and Glenn, he knew that they would confirm what he'd said and convince her that he was right.

He was furious. Heart-broken. He was so sure that she'd see things his way. Now this. How could she do this? How could she not see what kind of man Daryl Dixon was? Now she was in his tent. Alone. Daryl could do god-knows-what. Shane picked up the knife from beside his shotgun and rolled it between his palms as the thoughts swirled in his head. He had to come up with a plan to get to her. To force her to see things his way. He had to get through to her that he was the only one who could keep her safe from that trailer trash, redneck, drunken son of a bitch.

XXXXX

Daryl laid back on the pillow and grinned, his face flushed from the Jack Daniels. He was still sober, but relaxed. Comfortable. "So then, Merle says to the judge, 'Your honor, I ain't tryin' to be bad, I's just born that way'." Hallie flew into a fit of laughter and fell back next to him on her side, her eyes moist with tears.

"He didn't! He did NOT say that to that same judge! Is that when he got ninety days?"

"Well, that was tha' last time he went to County. Next time, he was down at Rutledge fer' six months on a assault charge."

"Oh. Still. I think I would like Merle."

"He'd like you fer' sure."

"Why's that?" she asked.

Daryl rolled to his side and to face her. They were inches apart. He looked at her and his heart did that thing again. "You serious?" he said. "Merle'd wanna' eat ya' fer' breakfast. Yer' cute, yer' funny, ya' got a nice..." Daryl cleared his throat. "personality. Ya' know how to hunt an' ya' don't piss n' moan 'bout everythin' like most girls."

"Oh." she swallowed, her throat dry. "Thanks. I think." she frowned. Fuck, he thinks I'm like one of the guys. "I think I would have liked to have gone drinking with Merle, back in the day. We'd had a good time, I have a feeling."

"Yeah, until he tried somethin' stupid."

"Well, I did a lot of stupid stuff back then, so he'd be in good company." Hallie said quietly. "Daryl?"

"Yeah."

"If you saw me in a bar, would you have asked me to dance?"

"Nope."

"Oh."

"I don't dance."

"Oh. Would you have bought me a beer?"

"Nope."

"No?"

"No. You don't drink. I'da bought ya' a Diet Coke."

"So, you think I'm fat?" she said, punching his arm.

"Aw, crap." he sighed. "Here we go."

XXXXX

"I need to go. It's getting late." Hallie said, sitting up.

"Ya' can't." Daryl sat up as well. "It's still pourin' 'n' yer sleepin' bag is still soaked."

"Daryl. I gotta go. Can't sleep here."

"Why not?" he said.

"Because. I...We're...We've probably giving the hen party in the mobile home quite a bit to talk about just by me being over here."

"I hate ta' tell ya' this, but they been talkin' since we went huntin' that first day."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Great. Just flippin' great."

"You care?"

"Of course. In case you haven't noticed, but our merry little band here, Daryl, we're all we've got. Everything else is gone."

"Don't say that. Don't ever say that."

"Sorry, I know Merle is still out there. You'll find him. I know you will."

"Damn straight he's still out there." he said, his voice tight.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I meant, the group. We have to stick together. Nobody's gonna make it on their own."

"Merle will."

"I know. He's tough. He's meaner than a snake. He's a survivor. You both are. But the rest of us aren't."

"You are. Fucksakes, look at ya'. You sure the' hell are."

"Can we change the subject please?"

"Why for?"

"I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"Fine. Whatever. Yer stayin' right here, though."

"Whatever."

"Good. I like a woman what agrees wi' me."

"In your dreams, Dixon." Hallie said, laying back down.

XXXXX

Daryl woke up and noticed two things right off the bat. First, it was quiet. It had stopped raining totally. Not even sprinkling. The incessant drumming on the tent that had nearly driven Daryl crazy these past few days was completely still now. The second thing he noticed was that Hallie McAllister in his arms, wrapped around him like a snake...and he liked it. A lot.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Daryl opened his eyes and taking a deep breath, he smelled vanilla and sugar and soap all in a heady mix that caused a warm feeling in the depths of his stomach. The rain had stopped and the sun was beginning to shine, shadows faintly visible on the side of the tent from the trees beyond camp. It was early. He could hear the screech of a blue jay, no doubt happy to see sunshine after the seemingly unending downpours of the last few days. Hallie was laying on her side, in his arms, breathing slow and deep. Her head laid on his chest, one arm around his waist, a fist full of his shirt wadded in her hand, the other under his arm and around his shoulder. One leg was snugged up next to his, the other over his with her foot tucked under his knee. His other leg was on top of hers and both of his arms were around her, one around her shoulders, one around her waist. They were, to say the least, entwined.

Daryl bent his arm slightly to move some of her hair away from his face. Hers was barely visible under the tangle of curls, wild and messy. He laid there, motionless, for several minutes, just enjoying the feeling of someone next to him. He'd never really slept with anyone before. It was oddly comforting to him, the warmth, the feeling of her body against his, the small movements of her breathing perceptible on his chest and stomach. Daryl moved his head down and gently, carefully kissed the top of Hallie's head. He moved to pull a handful of her curls to his face, breathing in her scent again, his head swimming.

Hallie stirred and made a tiny whining sound as she adjusted her head on his chest and hugged him tighter, moving her foot down his leg, stretching slightly. Daryl was aware that her breathing was shallower and wondered what they'd say to each other once she did wake up. He didn't want this to be one of those "oh my God, what did I do last night?" moments. He was pretty sure he knew what they did...and did not do. They talked. They laughed. He convinced her to stay with him because of the downpour and they both fell asleep on his bed. He wasn't sure at what point that he put his arms around her, but he guessed it was a sleep-thing because he was damn sure he would have remembered it if he'd been awake.

Hallie moved her head again and sighed slightly. He could tell she was awake by her breathing. Her head moved upwards slowly and their eyes met. Neither one of them moved anything else, said anything, instead staying tangled like they had been when he woke up. Hallie smiled, remembering where she was and what she was doing there.

"Hey." she whispered.

"Hey." he smiled.

"Is that NOT rain, I hear?"

"Yeah. Think it's done."

"Finally." She turned loose of his shirt and smoothed it flat with her fingers. "Sorry." she said quietly. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you let me up please?"

"Sure." He moved his leg and dropped his arms as Hallie pushed herself off from his chest and sat up next to him. She combed her fingers through her messy hair and rubbed her eyes. Daryl sat up and scratched his head, watching her. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and then leaned back, both hands behind him.

"What 're ya' gonna' do t'day?" he asked.

"Probably try to get stuff hung out to dry, try to get a fire going so we can all have something hot to eat. You going huntin'?"

Daryl nodded. "Don't think I'll find much, w'all this rain."

"Sure you will." Hallie sat up on her knees. "I really need to get going." she said. She looked at Daryl. His hair was tousled and sticking up in a couple places and he was still rubbing the sand out of the corners of his brilliant blue eyes. "You are so cute when you're sleepy." she said, kissing him quickly on the cheek and standing up. She gathered her bag and started towards the door. "I'll prob'ly see you in a bit. If not, tonight when ya' get back. Be careful, ok?"

"Wait. Walk ya'."

"You don't have to."

"Want to. Spend th' night an' I don' even walk ya' to yer' door? Wouldn't be right."

"Well, aren't you just a true Southern gentleman!" Hallie grinned.

"Yeah, that's me." he smirked, unzipping the flap.

They reached Hallie's tent without a word, Daryl behind Hallie, carrying the still-damp sleeping bag, his hand on her back. Hallie turned when she reached her door. "Daryl. I had a great time last night. Oh, God, this sounds so corny." she rolled her eyes. "I really did. It was the best. I slept better than I have in months. Maybe years. I felt...uhm, protected. Safe. Thank you." she said, taking the sleeping bag from his hands.

Daryl nodded. "Me too." he said quietly. "I'll see ya' later." He turned and took about six steps towards his tent. Aw, fuck, the voice inside his head screamed. What are ya' doing here?

Hallie had turned back around to unzip the flap. She heard him stop walking and turn. She wasn't prepared for the voice, though. He called her name as he walked quickly back to the tent. "Hallie." Low. Guttural. Needful. She had never heard him say anything with this tone and it startled her. When he reached her, he grabbed her waist and pulled her up to him, kissing her roughly as he grabbed a handful of her tangled hair and pulled her head back a little. His lips were forceful, moving over hers in a slow motion that took her breath away. She could feel her breasts crushed to his chest, his fingers gently moving on her lower back. She dropped the sleeping bag and put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him back, moving her fingers through the hair on the back of his head, the nape of his neck.

Hallie's mouth opened slightly and Daryl's tongue moved in. Slowly, exploring, curling around hers, probing. Hallie felt light-headed and was glad that he was holding her up tightly. When he stopped kissing her and started to pull away, it too was in slow motion, their lips not wanting to separate, lingering together as long as they could, pulling away only at the last second. Daryl kissed the side of her head as he let her down gently "Later." he said and headed back to his tent.

Hallie watched him walk away, the one leg slightly bowed, foot turned just a tiny bit, the way his butt moved under his gray pants, the more than discernable strut to his step. She stood there trying to catch her breath for a few seconds, her mouth open, nerves still a-buzz. She glanced around at the other tents and at the mobile home. Silent. No one peeking through a door flap or a window. She gathered up the wet-again sleeping bag and went inside, sitting down on her mattress with a little thud. Did he really just do that, she asked herself. There was a definite warm tingle in her stomach...and lower...lower, spreading throughout her entire body.

She was not expecting the kiss. Not at all. She knew he was hesitant. She had surmised that he was shy around girls, the bravado was somewhat of a front to cover up insecurities that he had come by honestly. She knew that she was going to have to be patient and let him come to her, let him feel secure that she was in this for no other reason than she wanted to be, that she really did want him for who and what he was, in spite of being one of those "no-count Dixon boys, " in spite of everything bad he'd had to live through, put up with, survive. She knew that he was a good man, worth the wait, however long it took. Hallie laid back against her pillow and closed her eyes, a flood of emotions all washing over her at once.

XXXXX

Shane closed his eyes and stopped breathing. The walkers were in the median, a group of about forty or so. It was like somebody had turned an airport lounge into walkers all at once. There were walkers of every size and shape, male and female, teenager and child, clothed in hanging, dangling rags ranging from what had once been three-piece business suit to nightgowns and bathrobes. They were all similar on one thing, though, Shane thought. They were hungry and if they discovered them, they would all be dead very quickly.

He opened his eyes and looked around. T-Dog and Daryl were nowhere to be seen. Andrea and Hallie were under cars further on from him. He could see them laying down, flat against the ground under the two side by side minivans. Rick was next to him, his hand on his rifle, ready to roll out and start shooting if necessary. Glenn was behind them.

The scraping of their feet and their moaning, screeching, barely-human-voices unnerved Shane. He hated that sound. It reminded him of every bad scary movie he'd ever seen as a kid, only now, it was real. No movie, the zombies and monsters were very real and they were hell-bent on eating him. Now there were not just one or two, roaming, wandering. There were herds of them. Packs, which moved slowly yet deliberately, as if they were being pulled by some unseen beacon or unheard call. Undulating rivers of death and decay. Packs that could overtake even the most well-armed group if something, the least little thing, went wrong. One noise. One misstep. One careless gesture could start a chain reaction which could bring the heard, surrounding them, devouring them.

He looked at the dusty soles of Hallie's hiking boots and strained to see her face. She was looking to the side, towards the median, on alert for a walker hand or head to poke under the van and try to grab her. She turned and looked behind, looking at him. Her eyes were dark, frightened. She looked back to the road without acknowledging him.

The walkers moved on, slowly, only a few stragglers lagging behind. Everyone slowly withdrew from their hiding places, regrouping slowly. Warily. Hallie and Andrea continued their work going through cars, scavenging for clothes, food, water, medicine, anything usable. Hallie was emptying out a suitcase full of bottled water and snacks when Shane walked up behind her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, pulling on his ear nervously.

"Fine."

Shane looked down at Hallie's hand. It was scratched badly and there were a few drops of blood trickling down. "You're hurt." he said, grabbing her on the forearm. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing. I scratched it when I dove under the minivan. I'm fine."

"No, it's not fine. You could get an infection. Decaying bodies are roaming the streets, god knows what diseases are out here. We need to get it cleaned up."

"Shane, please let go. It's fine. I'll clean it up when we get back to camp."

"That's too late." He tried to pull her towards the jeep.

"Stop it. What are you doing? " she protested.

"We have to clean that now. You're bleeding. If that doesn't stop the smell of fresh blood could draw walkers." he said firmly. "I ain't taking no for an answer. You could put us all in jeopardy.' Now, let's go."

Hallie pulled her arm away from Shane's grip and started walking towards his jeep. He pulled out the first aid kit and Hallie held her arm out, keeping away from him as much as possible. Shane washed off the scrapes and scratch with alcohol pads and Betadine and applied gauze, wrapping her hand in tape. He worked slowly, too slowly for Hallie's comfort level.

"Did you find any antibiotics today?" he asked when he was done.

"I think so. Yeah." she nodded her head, trying to remember all the pill bottles that they had found. Hallie found it amazing that people actually remembered to take their medicines with them as they fled. Some of the cars were treasure troves of antibiotics, painkillers, anti-depressants, anti-this and that, medications for everything imaginable.

"You need to take some. Keep that from getting any worse." he said, looking at her from under his brow.

"I will. Thanks." she said. Hallie turned to walk away.

"Did you think about what I said?"

"What? About Daryl? No." she shook her head and kept on walking.

"I'm serious, Hallie." he jogged and caught up with her, pulling her around by her elbow, his rifle dangling from the sling on his back. "What do I have to do to convince you?"

"Shane, I don't know happened between you and Daryl and I don't really care, but you have issues. Serious issues. I didn't appoint you my guardian and protector and I don't like you hounding me. Stop trying to scare me away from him and leave me the hell alone. This is the last time I'm going to ask you," Hallie was stone-faced, her brows down, eyes narrowed. "and stop," she said, shoving his hand from her arm. "putting your hands on me."

XXXXX

Daryl and T-Dog jogged back to the interstate with two backpacks of canned goods, a map, and two extra guns. Their foray into the little subdivision had taken them off the beaten path for a while and they had completely missed the mass of walkers. They had, in fact, encountered relatively few walkers. A couple were trapped in a garage, one wandering in a back yard. Most were gone. It appeared as if the inhabitants of the homes had just vanished. Cars were still in the driveways, houses unlocked. The homes were full of stuff. Just ripe for the picking.

Daryl spotted Andrea and Rick huddled together looking at something in the back of a hatchback and walked over, scouring the area for Hallie. When he found her, he didn't know what he was going to say to her, if anything. They had had words before they left on this "expedition" as Carl had taken to calling them. Daryl was adamant that she stay behind and Hallie was just as adamant that she not. The phrase "not the boss of me" could be overheard, as well as "pig-headed," "chauvinist," and "worry like a fuckin' old lady." None of these, however, stung their intended victim as much as his "Go ahead 'n get bit, see if I care." Hallie and Daryl both knew it was a lie when it came out and that he didn't mean it, but still, it hung for minutes like a thick cloud of smoke in the silence of the early morning.

Rick pointed Daryl in the right direction and told him Hallie was a few rows up. Shane eyed Daryl as he passed, his hand moving to the revolver in the back of his waistband. Daryl looked at him with disgust and looked away, not noticing where the hand had disappeared to. Crazy fucker, he thought as Shane glared at him.

Daryl stopped behind Hallie. She was kneeling in the back seat of the older station wagon, tossing things aside. All you could see was the bottom half of her legs and the ankle boots sticking out of the open door. He could hear her drop stuff in a paper bag and she was talking to herself, making an inventory of what she'd tossed in the bag, what she'd discarded back into the floorboards. He cleared his throat. Hallie ignored him. He took a couple steps towards the car and cleared his throat again.

"What is it, Daryl?" she said, standing up outside the station wagon, tucking strands back into the ball cap.

"Gettin' ready to head out."

"And?"

"And ya' need ta' get in mah' truck."

"I don't need to do any such thing. I'm riding with Rick and Andrea."

"No, yer' ridin' wi' me now."

"Who says?"

"I say."

"Well, I say not. You guys around here seem to want to tell me what to do and when to do it and I'm gettin' a little sick of it. Glenn rode with you on the way up here, he can ride with you on the way back."

"No."

"Stop being childish. I'm not going with you."

"Yeah, ya' are, if I have ta' drag yer ass ta' that truck kickin' n' screamin'."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Believe it. Remember, I'm a pig-headed, red-necked chauvinist who worries like n' old lady."

"Yeah, and ya' also said ya' didn't care if I get bit."

"Maybe I don't."

"Then why do you want me to ride with you so bad?"

"'Cause I missed ya." Daryl said quietly, sighing. "Just get 'n tha' fuckin' truck, Hal."

"Ask me nice."

"Get 'n tha' truck."

"Nicer."

"Get in, please."

"Better, but I'm just not feeling the love yet, Dixon. Try it one more time." she grinned, her hand on her forehead to shade the sun.

"Woman, yer' gonna feel mah' hand on yer' backside if ya' don't get in tha' damn truck n' shut up."

"Oh, that'd be a first." she said quietly, walking past him with two grocery bags, brushing against his arm on purpose, keeping the bandaged hand out of his sight.

"You shutting' up? Yeah, it would be."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello and thanks to all the new followers. Stop in and review, ok?**

**Ya'll ready? *evil grin* **

**Remember, this is rated M for a reason. Reader beware!**

**Chapter 7**

Hallie sat in the truck, feet up, her arms wrapped around her knees.

"It's nothing." she said. "Just a scratch."

"Lemme see." he said, turning off the truck.

"No. It's fine. Drive damn it."

"We ain't goin' nowhere 'til I see yer' hand."

"Oh, my God. First you don't want me to go, then you say you don't care if I get bit by a walker, now you're obsessing about a little scrape? Get a grip!"

Daryl leaned over and his hand moved to Hallie's thigh, just above her knee, grasping tightly. She gasped and turned to him. "What are you doing?"

"Gettin' a grip. Give me tha' hand."

"No! Now drive."

Daryl's hand twitched. Hallie looked at him, her mouth open. He was grinning, his blue eyes twinkling. He moved his hand even higher up her thigh. "Hand."

"No!"

Daryl hand moved up to the top of her leg, his fingers resting in the vee between her leg, his thumb on the outside." "Hand." he said gruffly, looking down at his own, grinning wider.

"That's not my hand." she squeaked. "Daryl, knock it off. I'm not kidding." Hallie's green eyes were wide, her mouth open. He'd never been this bold before. Where did he think he was going with this? They were in his truck, the end of the convoy, heading back to camp. She held her bandaged hand out to him. "Ok. You win."

Daryl rubbed her thigh and gave it a couple pats. "Who bandaged this?" he said, unwrapping it and looking at the wound. He nodded is head in appreciation.

"Unfortunately, Shane. He noticed I was bleeding a little, a very little bit, and made me cover it up. He had a first aid kit in his jeep. He was worried about it bringing more walkers."

"Oh." he said, rewrapping the gauze and securing the tape back. "Looks ok now. Gonna need some antibiotics."

"So I hear." she said.

"What?"

"That's what Shane said. Need to find some in all the pills we found."

"He's right." Daryl nodded and scooted back under the steering wheel. "Don't let him touch you again."

"Jealous?"

"No." he said flatly.

"No?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Hardly." she snorted. "How far?"

"How far what?"

"How far would you have taken it?"

"Seems t' me like I got purty far." Daryl grinned. "How far wouldja' 've let me?"

"How far did you wanna?"

Daryl started up the truck, licking his lips and shaking his head. "We need ta' catch up." His mouth was dry, his voice all but cracking. He kept his head straight ahead, focused on the road. He could hear Merle screaming at him from the back of his brain.

Hallie rolled her eyes at him and leaned her back on the passenger door. "Tease." she huffed, crossing her arms, refusing to take her eyes off him. Daryl tried to remain expressionless. He lasted for about thirty seconds until he burst out laughing.

XXXXX

Shane dug and dug. He was wringing with sweat, his hands blistered. He had to be cautious, be quiet, all the while keeping an eye out. Walkers, Daryl, either one of them could discover him, come up on him without him knowing if he wasn't careful. He could get bitten or his plan could fall apart. One would be as bad as the other. He carefully put the piece of plywood he'd salvaged on top of the hole and secured it with the iron pipe he'd ran on three sides. Up, over the wood and then down, locked into place with a band of metal and a hasp. Once inside, no one could get out unless he allowed it. No one would find it, the grass thick, well away from the path, downed limbs and brush could be scattered to make the thicket look impassible. It was perfect. The plan was perfect. Now he just needed the right timing to execute it.

XXXXX

Hallie licked the barbeque sauce off her fingers slowly, one by one, watching Daryl watch her from across the fire, shifting in his seat from time to time. He knew she was doing it to torture him and she knew it was working. Daryl kept his plate on his lap, knees together. He was staring straight at her. When he wasn't eating his own food, he was chewing on the corner of his thumbnail. Hallie was getting excited just watching him watch her. She leaned slowly down to pick up her bottle of water, looking up at him with a sly smile, knowing he could see down her shirt, knowing that was exactly what he was doing.

Daryl took a drink from the longneck and licked his lips, smiling slyly. He knew what he planned to do tonight. He could hardly stand it. He'd had a long talk with Merle a couple nights ago.

_"Still ain't done her?"_

_"No."_

_"What tha' fuck ya' waiting on, Christmas?"_

_"No."_

_"Ya' do know how, right?"_

_"Of course. "_

_"I know ya' do, I knew ya' was checkin' out mah' porn collection all tha' time. Ya' better know how by now! I worked years on that' collection, it's a masterpiece. Some a' the finest porn ya' can find in the South. 'N ya' cain't just find that stuff just anywhere 'round these parts."_

_"Christ, Merle, I know what ta' do."_

_"How bad ya' wanna?"_

_"Bad."_

_"She wanna?"_

_"Get tha' feelin', yeah."_

_"Feel her up yet?"_

_"Merle."_

_"I'll take that as a no."_

_"Ya' even kiss 'r yet?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Well, hey, whatda ya' know! Babysteps, but we're makin' forward progress here, Lil' "Bro. Ya' got a plan?_

_"Plan fer' what?"_

_"Ya ain't gonna' just walk up ta' her 'n stick it in, r' ya'?"_

_"Don't be gross."_

_"Don't you be stupid. Ya' gotta have a plan. R'mance her. Christ, at least get her good an' liquored up!_

_"I don't operate like that, Merle, and besides, she don't drink ."_

_"Well, fuck, that's kinda' a deal-breaker, ain't it? 'Specially 'n our fam'ly."_

_"She's a nice girl, Merle. Besides, if I have ta' get 'er drunk fer' ta' let me do it, I don't "wanna. Not right. Don't want her like that._

_"OH, CHRIST! Yer' in looooooove! "_

_"Shut it, Merle."_

_"You are! Oh, fuck a duck, ya' love this girl, don'tcha?"_

_"I guess. I dunno. "_

_"Ya' respect her?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"Ya' like her?"_

_"Lot."_

_"Ya' give a shit what she thinks?"_

_"Yeah. So?"_

_"Fuck, it's worse n' I thought. Yer' pussy-whipped already". Merle sat back in the chair and put his head in his hands. He looked up, grimacing. "Jesus H. Christ on a rubber crutch, will ya' just fuck her, Son? Ya' ain't gettin' any prettier."_

_"Fuck you, Merle."_

_"That's what she said." _

XXXXX

Daryl stood up, looking at Hallie. "Real nice dinner, Carol." he said, depositing his plates in the tub next to the fire. "Gonna go take care of a couple things." he said. "Gotta work on my bow. Sights are off."

There was a chorus of "Good night, Daryls." Hallie stayed put, watching him walk away from camp. She loved to watch him walk. When he got to his tent, he turned around and looked back at her, grinning. He was up to something, she could tell easy enough, but what, she didn't know. She had the feeling that he was ready, God knows she definitely was. He'd kissed her several times, each longer and more intense than the one that morning outside her tent. She knew even if she wanted to, she would not be the one to hold out.

Hallie stayed up until she, Glenn and Andrea were the last ones around the fire. When they decided to call it a night, she went to bed as well. Daryl's tent was dark. Damn it, she thought to herself, as she zipped up her sleeping bag. She stretched her toes down to the end and felt something cold and wet. She let out a squeal and jumped out. She gingerly unzipped her bag, tooth by tooth until she realized what it was. She smelled it before she saw it, actually. Her stomach turned. She unzipped some more. Black and green iridescent scales on a tail. A plump football-shaped body. The monstrous green eye staring up at her.

She put her hand over her mouth and tried not to wretch again. Somebody had put a fish in her sleeping bag...and that somebody was about to catch hell. She threw on a pair of shorts and with two fingers, picked up the fish by the tail. Without a sound, she marched over to his tent and smacked the door with her hand.

"Open up, Dixon." she demanded.

"Who is it?" he said in a sing-song voice.

"It's the woman who's going to kick your ass."

"Sorry, she's not here. Can ya' come back later?

"Open up, Daryl, this is not funny. Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" he said, opening the flap halfway and poking his head out. "Hey, nice fish. Ya' catch that yerself?"

"Very funny. My sleeping bag smells like fish and it's all wet now. What am I supposed to do?"

"Hmmm, now that IS a problem." he stroked his throat with his finger. "How's 'bout ya' come in here 'n we'll figure somethin' out."

"How about you sit and spin? Daryl this isn't funny." She looked at him, the fish still in her hand, swaying gently.

"Get rid a' that stinkin' fish an' come in here 'fore ya' wake everybody up." he grinned. "Throw it in' that cooler right there." he pointed at a cooler beside the door. "Hate ta' waste a perfectly good fish."

"You are such an asshole." she said, slamming the cooler lid and crawling inside.

It was dark in Daryl's tent. She felt him next to her and then he took her hands. He pulled her over and put her hands into a bucket of water and rubbed them with a bar of soap.

"You kinda' stink." he said quietly.

"No thanks to you." she said.

"Sit down."

"Why?"

"Just sit, ok?" he said, sighing. Hallie sat down and Daryl pulled her feet to him. He took a rag and gently washed them with soapy water. "Yer feet kinda stink too. Ya musta' played footsie wi' that fish fer a while." When he was done, he dried them with a towel and kissed each one as he sat it down.

"Why did you do that?" she asked. "You know I can't stand fish. Why would you ruin my sleeping bag?"

"So ya'd come over here 'n give me hell." he grinned. "And I could give ya' this..." Daryl stood up and walked out of view in the dark. She heard rustling and he returned with a roll tied with a cord.

"You didn't." she said. "You did all that because you found me a new sleeping bag?"

"This one's rated colder. It's gonna get pretty chilly soon an' ya' needed somethin' better." he explained.

"That's so sweet. Daryl, that's really...nice. Really, really nice." she smiled at him. "But I'm still mad at you for using a fish. Why didn't you just give it to me?"

"Because then I wouldn'a got ya' over here." he leaned in and took the bag from her hands and threw it behind him. "Merle said I gotta' have a plan."

"What?"

"Nevermind." he said, pulling her towards him. "I just wanted ya' over here t'night."

"Oh. You coulda' just asked."

"Nuh-huh."

"Daryl, are you planning to..."

"Yup." he said, kissing her softly, his hands moving to her hair.

"'Bout damn time." she whispered.

XXXXX

Daryl slipped off Hallie's shirt, gingerly. She was wearing the same white bra he'd seen her in at the pond that evening. He moved his hands up, running his fingers over the rounded cups, over the bare skin above. Hallie shivered as she took a deep breath. He looked at her in the darkness, and pulled her up to him so that they were both standing on their knees. He bent to kiss her breasts as his hands slipped around her waist to unhook her bra. He kissed her shoulders as he slipped the straps down and pulled it away. He let out his breath as it fell, releasing her into his waiting mouth and hands. "You're so beautiful." he whispered, kissing one nipple while running his fingers over the other.

Hallie's hands were running along his shoulders and biceps, feeling every contour, ever ripple. Daryl stopped long enough to pull his own shirt overhead and cast it aside and then returned to running his tongue over her breasts. Hallie though she was going to explode already. She was ready before they even got started.

She dropped her hands to his waist and started undoing his belt. She pushed him down and pulled down his pants and boxers. When he sprung free, Hallie gasped and whispered "Happy Birthday to ME!"

"What's wrong?" Daryl froze and bolted upright.

"Not a thing, Baby." she said. "Not a God-damn thing." she said, straddling his legs. "Now, lay back down...unless you wanna watch."

"Uhm, ok." Daryl grinned.

Hallie bent over and rained gentle kisses on his thighs, around him from one side to the other, blowing lightly on him as he stiffened even further. She started at the tip and worked her way around him, more gentle kisses, her tongue running around, circling, connecting the kisses, leaving him moist from her mouth. When she reached the base, she cupped his balls and squeezed gently, massaging him lightly. She looked at him while she lowered her mouth on him, taking him in as far as she could, drawing out slowly, again and again, as her fingers continued to massage his balls. "Oh, fuck ME." He said. "I can't watch. I can't watch. It's too good." he moaned, leaning back on the pillow. "You're too good."

Hallie moved a little faster, applying more suction with each pass, stopping long enough between upstroke and down to swirl her tongue around his head, making his breath hitch each time, spending time moving back and forth on a tender spot just under the tip on the front. She moved her hands under his butt and squeezed, making him moan even louder.

Hallie continued to work a bit faster until she felt him twitch slightly. "No." he cried. "No more." he said, grabbing her forcefully and yanking off her shorts and underwear in one swift motion, pulling her to him, flipping her to her back, bringing himself down on top of her. "Now. Inside. You. Now." he tried to choke out the words as he kissed her roughly, his tongue demanding, his lips hard against hers.

Hallie moved under him, wrapping her legs around his hips, guiding him in. Daryl's hands were on either side of her shoulders, his arms holding him up, his head down. He was looking into her eyes. Hallie's eyes were closed when he entered her, her mouth open, a low, slow moan escaping as he buried himself completely.

Daryl moved against her, grinding with his hips, slow, steady. He put his forehead against hers. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He was completely and utterly absorbed in their coupling, his eyes shut tightly, lips pursed, breathing in time with his thrusts. He looked like he was in another world. Daryl slowly opened his eyes and looked at her, his eyes dark, burning into her. He mouthed the words "So fucking good" and grinned. Hallie snaked a leg up between them and rested her foot on his chest, not quite reaching his shoulder. His eyes opened wider , kissing her ankle. She could tell that that simple change in their position had moved him to another level, driving deeper within her, the rhythm of their movement pushing them further towards their end.

Daryl pushed himself up further, grasping her hips now, moving her other leg up to his hip. Hallie felt herself start to give way, her back arched, hands gripping the pillows now beside her, her breathing becoming ragged. She didn't have to say anything. Daryl felt her start to tighten around him and increased his speed, using his hands to help him pull her hips towards him, driving further, faster. Hallie was moaning steadily now as his tempo continued to increase. Daryl closed his eyes as he let loose a slow steady growl, bucking against her, shaking as they came together. He dropped her hips as his knees gave way, falling to the mattress as he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into a deep kiss, still inside her, furious spasms continuing for more than a minute. Hallie's eyes were still closed as he continued to kiss her, now furiously. He pulled her arms up and pinned them overhead, kissing her neck, down her chest to her breasts, still heaving as Hallie tried to catch her breath.

"Baby. Stop. Please. You're. Killing. Me." she moaned.

"Good." he grinned, tugging at one of her nipples with his front teeth as he shuddered inside her again and ground his hips against hers.

"Good?" she said, opening her eyes. "Good?"

Daryl moved up, gazing at her, his eyes still fiery. "Yeah. I done died already n' this 's Heaven."

XXXXX

A/N. Y'all need to review. Seriously!


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thank y'all so much for the amazing alerts and favorites! I'm just verklempt! Now, please honor me some more with a review!**_

**Chapter 8**

Daryl smacked Hallie's ass with his palm a second time that night as he laid them down slowly. She squeaked shuddered at the same time.

"Fuck, Woman, yer' amazin'." he said as he rolled off of her to his side and wrapped arms and legs around her, squeezing her tight, both their bodies slick and sticky.

"Really?" she said in the dark.

"Really."

"Better than other girls you've been with?"

Daryl was silent.

"Daryl?" she said.

Silence.

"You fucker." she pulled away from him.

"Baby, don't." he grabbed for her and pulled her back.

"You could at least lie to me, for Christ sakes. Jesus, Daryl. What am I doing wrong then?" she said, the tears welling.

"You ain't doing nothing wrong."

"Oh don't give me the its-not-you-its-me speech. Save it. Tell me what you want and I'll do it. Just say it."

"I don't want ya' ta' do anythin'."

"WHAT?" she sobbed. "You don't want me at all? Fuck this shit." she said, sitting up, wrenching away from his arms.

"Hallie. Shut up an' listen."

"No, Daryl. I gotta get out of here." she struggled harder to get up as he pulled her back down again. "Let me go."

"I ain't. Ya' gotta listen."

"I think I've heard enough already." she hissed.

"Shut it, Woman!" he said roughly, squeezing her arms. "Let me 'splain somethin'."

"There's nothing TO explain." she said, starting to cry. "Just let me go."

"I swear, if ya' don't shut up..." His face was close to hers, his jaw set, eyes narrowed. "Shut up 'n listen ta' me.' He loosened up his grip and pulled her to his lap, her body stiff and tense, ready to bolt at any second. "Hallie. Baby," he hesitated. "'til I met ya, 'til we started, ya' know, I wasn't all that...experienced."

"So what? So you've not been with a ton of women. "

"That ain't 'xactly it."

"What then?'

"Technically, uhm...ya' were...well, ya' see..."

"Spit it out, Dixon."

"I ain't got nothin' ta' compare ya' to." he said quietly.

"What?"

"Ya' heard me."

"Are you trying to say what I think?"

The uncomfortable silence went on for what seemed like decades.

"How?' she asked.

"How what?" he said quietly.

"How is it that a guy like you has never gotten laid before?"

"I dunno. Just never found tha' right girl, I reckon."

"Bullshit."

"Well, lookit. I ain't exactly blessed n' tha' looks department. I'm a Dixon, we're nothin' but white trash. One 'a us was always in county 'r just got out. No mama. Drunk, good-fer-nuthin' Daddy. Din't finish high school, not educat'd. If that didn't scare 'em off, Merle did. After 'while, I just started...not ta' care. Seemed like more trouble 'n it was worth."

Hallie started crying softly and Daryl stiffened. "What're you cryin' fer'? I'm tha' one what never got laid."

"I feel so bad. You were so wrong about everything and you let it get this far." she sniffed. "I wish I had met you years ago. Things would have been different."

"Nothin' would'a changed. First time ya' wanted ta' see where I lived, or first time' ya' met Merle, ya'd a run fer the hills."

"No. That's not true and you know it." She hugged him tight. "I would have been all over you like white on rice and nothing would have scared me off. Daryl you don't know shit about women. You are hot. Smokin' hot. I can't believe Andrea or even Carol hasn't thrown themselves at you by now. You are wise and smart and funny and you are amazing at hunting and all that other manly stuff. You're also kind and gentle and sweet. Any woman would feel lucky to be with you."

"Bullshit." he said quietly. "God, I can't believe I told ya' this."

"I just wish you'd told me earlier. Things would have been different."

"Yeah, you'd be with Shane 'r 'Dog 'r even Glenn."

"Hardly." Hallie snorted. She put her hands on either side of his face, bringing him closer to her. "I would have jumped that hot little cracker ass of yours the first night we met, with or without your consent."

Daryl looked in her red-rimmed eyes and saw how serious she was. He thought for a second, still embarrassed, ashamed. "Well, shit." he said, kissing her. "I'd 'a sure let ya'."

They made out for a while and Hallie suddenly pulled away, holding him at arm's length.

"How?" she said.

"How what?"

"How'd ya know what to do when we finally did it? You were beyond amazing. You still are. How did you know how to rock my world if I was your first?"

"Well, see, Merle's got this here collection..."

XXXXX

Carol returned from the lake with the damp laundry, the basket still on her hip, and called for her daughter. She felt confident leaving Sophia because the others were all in camp. Sophia was supposed to be working on her spelling words at the picnic table. When Carol didn't see her there, she went straight to their tent. Then to the Dale's mobile home. Panic started to set in a little. She checked Lori and Rick's tent. Carl was inside, talking to his Dad. Carol quizzed Carl about how long he'd been there and where Sophia had been when he returned to his tent. He thought she was still at the picnic table with her spelling. He'd only been in the tent with his Dad for a few minutes, he thought. He looked at Carol quizzically.

Carol went to Hallie's tent. Hallie was inside, as was Daryl. They were together all the time now, it was fairly obvious to everyone that they were a couple, even with no official pronouncement. Carol had watched them before they got together. It was inevitable; Carol just knew by the way they looked at each other that they were going to be together.

Hallie responded to Carol's "Knock knock." with an invitation to come in.

The flap was up and Carol stepped inside. Daryl was sitting on the ground on a box, his shirt off and a towel wrapped around his shoulders. Hallie was trimming his hair with a small pair of scissors. "Whatda' ya' think, Carol? Doesn't he need some highlights? Maybe let the back grow out and do the full-on mullet thing?" Daryl frowned.

"Have you seen Sophia?"

"No. I thought she was sitting at the picnic table with Carl." Hallie looked at Daryl and then back at Carol. "I was going to try to French-braid her hair when she was done with her spelling. She was trying to talk me into polishing her nails too."

"They were there when I came over here." Daryl said, his eyes narrowing. He didn't like where this was going. "Shane's on guard. Has he seen her?"

"I didn't see him. He must be in the woods. I can't find her anywhere. She's not with Carl. She's not in our tent. She's not in the motor home with Dale. She's not with you guys. I know she's not with T or Glenn. They're both fishing."

"Ok, let's stay calm. She's probably just walked into the woods to pee or something. Or she's curled up with a book somewhere. Did ya' try calling for her?"

"No, not yet. I didn't panic until I came over here and saw she's not with you." Carol said, her face going white.

"Let's go. We'll find her. She's not gone far." Daryl said, dusting the stray hairs off and putting his shirt back on as he stood up. He walked out of the tent and went to the middle of the camp. "SOPHIA!" he bellowed. Daryl Dixon had an ability to be both the quietest thing in the woods or the loudest, depending on the situation. "SAA-FEEEEEE-YAAAAA!"

They searched for hours, finding no trace of her. It was as if she'd vanished into thin air. Shane returned from patrolling the perimeter and was surprised to learn what had happened. Carol grilled him about where he'd been and if he'd seen anything and was devastated to learn that he'd heard and seen absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. He tried to reassure Carol that Sophia was close by and that they would find her soon, but Carol's gut told her something completely different. Something was very wrong.

XXXXX

The group searched the woods for days, pairing off, taking turns staying at camp in case Sophia wandered home. Carl was so upset that he'd taken to nailing little notes with directions to trees here and there in hopes that the girl would come upon them and could make her way back. They searched from first light to dusk, coming back to a mostly silent camp to eat, sleep, and then get up and search again the next day. Three days had passed and they were out of meat. Daryl and Rick agreed that it was important for them to be able to keep up their strength to search and the protein from fresh meat was important, so Daryl left in the morning and set off on the other side of the lake to try to find food.

Hallie walked into a thick stand of bushes and looked around for poison ivy, snakes, anything dangerous before she squatted to pee. A hand came from behind and clamped down on her mouth, a gun barrel poked her rib hard enough to leave a bruise the next day. "Make a sound and I'll drop you right here." the familiar voice said. "Shake your head if you understand."

Hallie nodded her head. The hand left her mouth and grabbed her shoulder hard. "Start walking. Fast." he said, the gun hard against her side. When they had gone about a hundred yard deeper into the woods, Shane let loose of her shoulder and turned her around.

"Don't say a fucking word." he hissed. "You're gonna listen and then you're gonna do exactly what I say. If you don't, Sophia dies."

Hallie gasped, her eyes wide. "No." she shook her head. "You didn't. You wouldn't."

"I did and I will if you don't do exactly what I tell you to do. She's safe for now, but that little girl's life is solely in your hands from here on out. Fuck up, fuck me over and she pays. Do...you...understand...me?" Shane had slowly moved the gun from Hallie's ribs to her neck.

Hallie nodded frantically. "What do you want me to do?"

"It's simple. You come with me. We leave. For good."

"Don't be stupid. Even if I did, Daryl would hunt you down like a dog and kill you with his bare hands."

"No, he won't. He won't want to. He'll understand that you were just using him and he won't care what happens to you."

"Never. He'd never believe it."

"Oh, yeah, that's how it's going to go, Hallie. You're going to break up with him. You're going to tell him you don't love him, that you've only been using him to get my attention and make me jealous. That you're in love with me and we're leaving to be together."

"He won't buy it."

"You're gonna be real convincing, remember, because if you aren't, Sophia dies."

"Shane, no. This isn't right. You can't do this. You can't hurt Sophia to get back at me. I don't love you. I never did, I never gave you any indication that there was anything between us."

"I know that, but I have to get you away from him. You have to leave Rick." he said, rubbing his temple.

"What did you say?"

"Daryl. I mean Daryl. Once you're away from him, you'll come around. You'll see. You'll thank me I don't expect you to love me. I just have to make sure you're safe."

"Shane, I know you and Lori were together. I know that with Rick back, you must be hurting, but I'm not Lori. Please, Shane, don't do this. Don't take your hurt and anger out on Sophia. She's just a child. If you want to hurt me to get back at Lori, fine, but please-"

"I am not doing this to get back at that bitch. She's history. She's made her choice. But you don't have to. You can be saved."

"Shane. No. This is wrong. This is insane."

"NO. It is NOT! It is right. It is what I have to do. I have to protect you. I have to protect everyone."

Hallie started to cry softly as Shane detailed the plan, exactly how things were to go, exactly what she was to do. He'd been plotting this for weeks now. Biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity. Setting wheels in motion and making preparations. He capped his instructions with a final warning. "Sophia's ok for now. But if you screw it up, I will give her to the walkers and make you watch her die. Then I will tell the others that you allowed it to happen. That you could have stopped it and did nothing. "

"What keeps me from telling everyone what you are doing? Why shouldn't I just go back to camp and tell them everything and let them come after you?'

"You won't." he said calmly. "Because you know I'm just crazy enough to kill that little girl and then myself. It's not like I got a lot to live for anymore."

XXXXX

_**A/N That first line's just for you to ponder, Sara!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**No claims, no rights, just adoration for the WD.  
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**Chapter 9**

Hallie laid in bed in the dark all night, tossing and turning. She had watched Shane watch her all evening since they had returned. When he rose to put his dinner dishes in the tub, he managed to work it so that they were there at the same time. "Tomorrow. First thing." he said in a low voice. "Tick tock."

She looked at him blankly but he didn't even glance back. He just kept walking to his tent. He turned when he got to the door and looked back in her direction, tapping the bulge in the back of his waistband, under the sweatshirt he was wearing.

Hallie tried to think of a way out, but every time she came up with a new plan, she could hear Shane's voice saying "the girl's life is solely in your hands from here on out." She couldn't risk it. She could not put Sophia in further danger. She knew that if she left with him and he kept his promise, once Sophia was back with her mother and the rest, that she could try to get away then. She would have to take her chances with Shane one-on-one.

XXXXX

Daryl rolled over and put out a hand to Hallie's side of the mattress. She was sitting up, hands around her knees, her hair pulled back into a messy braid that fell over her shoulder to her lap. He smiled and tried to pull her to him and she batted his hands away.

"Stop it." she said, her voice sounded tight. Perturbed.

"What tha' fuck? We got plenty a' time 'fore we have ta' get up." he said.

"No. Daryl, we..." she took a deep breath, "we need to talk."

"Oh, Christ." he groaned. "What tha' fuck did I do now?"

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know. Daryl, this, this just isn't working."

"What ain't workin'?" he looked a bit shocked.

"Us. This whole thing." she looked at her feet. "You and me. We're just not working."

"Whadda' ya' mean? What tha' fuck 're ya' talkin' 'bout?"

"It's just not what I thought it would be. It's not working out between us."

"Could a' fooled me. What tha' fuck? "

"I'm tired of trying to fool you...and myself. I think I made a terrible mistake. We just don't..." she took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, "we just don't work. We have nothing in common, we're polar opposites. There's nothing here, no chemistry. Nothing real between us."

"Ya' feel like that? Really?"

"Yes, Daryl. I knew from the beginning it was going to be hard, but I thought I could make it work if I just tried. I thought I could but I can't. I just can't do this."

"Well, fuck, if that's how ya' feel, then fine. Fuck you, Hallie Jane."

Hallie looked at him. He was turned to the side, but she could see he was struggling to hold back. His lips were pressed together and his jaw was rock hard. His eyes were a dull gray-blue now, cold, lost. Hallie didn't know if he was going to punch her or cry.

"Daryl, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. We just don't belong together. I need..." her voice trailed off.

"Whadda' ya' need, Hallie? Hmm? What tha' fuck' do ya' need?" he said, growling, suddenly in her face. She was pretty sure that he was going to punch her now.

"I need...somebody else. Somebody who I can talk to, somebody who's world doesn't revolve just around hunting and bows and the woods. Somebody who knows how to..." she stopped before she said it.

"How ta' what? Ta' WHAT?" he was yelling now. She was sure the whole camp could hear him.

"Somebody who knows how to take care of me, how to express himself. Emotionally and." she took a deep breath again. "...physically."

"Oh, fuck YOU, ya' Bitch! I shouldda' never have told ya'. I knew I'd regret it. I knew you'd throw it up 'n mah' face one'a these days, first chance ya' got. Get outta mah' sight." He said, his fists clenching, his voice full of venom.

"Fine, if you don't want to hear it, then fine. I'll be over to get my stuff when you're off...HUNTING...like you ALWAYS ARE!" she hissed. Hallie rose and ran to the canvas and plastic door, throwing it open, running to her tent, crying now. She flung her self on her bed and began to sob softly. She could hear Daryl in his tent, kicking boxes and throwing stuff, cursing and yelling. She felt like running to the lake and throwing herself in. She hated what she'd done, hated hurting him with the lies. She knew it was to save Sophia, but that didn't make it any easier.

XXXXX

Andrea put her arms around Hallie and squeezed gently. Carol handed Hallie a tissue and sat quietly, just looking at her. It'll be ok. Just talk to him. Go to him and talk and work it out." Andrea said.

"No. I can't. We're through. I don't want to be with him anymore. It was a big mistake. I think...I think if I was truthful with myself, I never really liked him much. I think I just did it to get somebody else's attention. I guess it worked."

"Who's?" Carol sad softly.

"I...uhm...Shane. We've kinda been a thing for a while now. I hated cheating on Daryl, but Shane and I just clicked. We had to hide it from everybody because we knew what Daryl would do if he found out...and...well, then there's the whole Lori thing." Hallie put her head down. "Shane says Lori came on to him and pursued him pretty hot and heavy before Rick returned. She still has feelings for him, I think. She doesn't know about us either. I don't want it go get ugly."

"Hon, NOBODY knew about you two!" Andrea said loudly. "We knew about you and Daryl. Hell, people in Mississippi knew about you and Daryl a couple times there, but Shane? Complete surprise."

"I feel so bad. I've really hurt Daryl and he's really, really angry. I am worried about him handling it...badly. Trying to hurt Shane. Shane and I have decided we're going to leave. Soon. It's best for everybody. We're going to drive as far as we can and then find someplace safe. Settle down. Just the two of us. Please, please don't say anything until we're gone. We don't want him to know where we've gone...just in case he decides to...to try to find us."

"You can't. You can't leave. It's not safe out there." Carol said, welling up. "We need you here."

"Carol, I'm so sorry. I hate to leave like this. Now, not with everything..." Hallie started to well up too. "I'm sure you'll find her, Carol. Sophia will be back. I'm positive." They put their heads together and both women started to cry.

XXXXX

"Just tell me why." he said. "Ya' owe me that much."

"Lots of reasons, Daryl. None of them are important. It's just not going to work out with us. We're different. Just leave it at that and stop thinking it's any big deal."

"So yer' sayin' that we weren't no big deal ta' ya'? "That it?" he asked, afraid of the answer she was going to give him. He was dumbfounded. This was so unexpected. Being with her had been more than he imagined and for once, Daryl Dixon was happy. Well, as happy as he could be living in a tent in the middle of a Georgia woods, being tested each day and surviving on sheer will and wit alone, which for him would have been a good life if it weren't for dead people trying to eat everyone.

"No, I'm saying that you shouldn't get so worked up over me. It was fun. Brief, but fun. But we're just not right together. We aren't meant to be together. Shit happens."

"Fuck you. How can ya' say that?" he said, his voice cracking.

"You have to detach from the emotions and look at it honestly. Sometimes people don't have enough in common to keep them together." Hallie was grasping at straws right now, trying to avoid Daryl's stone cold blue eyes. They'd lost their spark, their twinkle. They were hurt, angry, sad eyes now and nothing Shane could ever do would make this be ok. Nothing would ever make her stop feeling guilty for hurting Daryl so much. Wounding him so deep. He trusted her, he told her things he'd never told anyone else and she'd turned around quickly and stomped all over him. Hallie knew that Daryl would be devastated and probably never recover. She was at this moment at least thankful that neither of them had used the L-word yet. That would simply be too much to bear.

"Can't b'lieve yer' doin' this. That yer' just walkin' away like it didn't mean nothing. Hallie, please." He took her hand and she pulled it away. Him touching her was too dangerous. She didn't know how long she could keep up the charade.

"Daryl. Don't. Just let me go. We just didn't work out. You'll be with someone else. You'll forget all about it."

"What tha' fuck's WRONG wi' you?" his voice starting to rise. "How can' ya be so fuckin' cold an' heartless? Hallie, this ain't like ya'. What tha' fuck is wrong?"

"Daryl, it's the only way." she said, turning and walking away quickly before he heard the sound of her heart breaking in two.

XXXXX

Shane stood in the middle of Hallie's tent as she packed. She could tell from his windbreaker that he had his service revolved tucked away inside. She made no effort to stop crying, tears rolling down her cheeks as she stuffed her things into bags.

"What about the tent?" she asked quietly.

"Leave it. We don't need it where we're going."

"I'm taking my sleeping bag." she said, not caring at this point if she pissed him off or not.

"Whatever." he said. "Might be useful." Hallie rolled the bag up, remembering the night Daryl gave her the bag. Their first night together. The tears rolled faster as she squished and worked the bag into the elastic straps which bound it into a little bundle. This bag would be the only thing that would link her to Daryl. Her security blanket, so to speak. She could not be without it.

"I can't do this, Shane. You can't do this...to all of us." she broke down and sat on the floor, her face in her hands, trying to muffle the sobs.

"You have to, Hallie." God, she hated it when he used her name. "Sophia's depending upon you." he said quietly. "You're the only one that can save her."

"No." she shook her head. "You can save her. You can go right now and bring her back and I won't say a word about this. I'll deal with what I've done and stay away from him and we don't have to leave, just bring Sophia back." she pleaded.

"You know I can't do that." he said.

"I fucking hate you, Shane." she said. "The first chance I get, I'm going to kill you in your sleep. You know that, don't you?"

"You won't. You'll come around and then you'll be glad I got you away from here. From him."

"Never. I will never come around. I will never stop hating you."

A/N: Fellow writers, is there anything out there on tips for writing fan fiction-like, etiquette for fan fiction, plot, characters, that newbie writers could/should read? Other than the rules for posting here, that is?


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks everybody for your support and encouragement. Love you all!**

**Chapter 10**

Sophia opened her eyes and looked around in the dim light. She could see a small battery-operated candle in one corner. There were bottles of water and packaged snacks and candy next to it. In another corner was a large bucket with a lid and a roll of toilet paper. She was sitting on a palate of a couple blankets with a pillow. There were a few books at her feet, a coloring book and box of crayons, and a stuffed teddy bear.

Sophia could tell that she wasn't inside a house or a building. The wood surrounding her was rough, like old boards. It made a thudding sound when she knocked on it. She didn't see any door. Looking up, she could see more wood. She tried to stand up and couldn't quite stand all the way, the ceiling was too low. She pushed on it with her hands and it didn't budge. Sophia didn't understand. It was like she was in a box.

She glanced around and saw handwriting on one of the walls. It was a note. As she read it, the little girl started to cry softly, hugging the bear, the tears streaming down. She laid down continued to cry, tears wetting the fabric of the pillow.

Sophia

Stay calm.

You are safe but if you scream or cry, walkers may hear you.

Rick will come and get you when this is over.

Don't panic. You will be fine.

XXXXX

Shane shut the door of the jeep with a loud thud. Hallie was sitting in the front passenger seat, her hands and feet tied. The camp was deserted; everyone had left, continuing to look for Sophia. They would make their getaway without being noticed, with no one watching or following, just as he had planned. Shane left the campground and pulled oout on to the two-lane just outside camp and immediately stopped the vehicle. He pulled a blue bandana out of his back pocket and leaned over to Hallie, who had tried to scoot up against the door as far as possible, hoping that one of the ruts in the barely-paved road would pop open the door and send her flying out of the vehicle, smashing her brains and ending what would be the hell to come.

He jerked her harshly to him and put the bandana around her eyes, blindfolding her. "Can't have you remembering how we got to where we're going, now, can I?" he whispered in her ear. He scooted back over and started the jeep, starting to drive again. Hallie tried to see out of her blindfold but he had done a good job keeping it tight and flat. They turned and twisted, with Shane saying very little on the journey. Sometimes Hallie felt that he was making turns just to confuse her, in case she was keeping a mental track of the trip.

XXXXX

"Why." she said, her mouth dry.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"Because I have to save you."

"I didn't ask you to.""You didn't know you needed to be. You don't know how close you came."

"To what."

"To him. To what he'd have done to you. To becoming like him, a piece of shit redneck with no purpose in life other than to sponge off the government and decent taxpaying citizens, popping out babies like a Pez dispenser just to up your welfare check while he sat around the trailer and drank and beat you."

"Is that what you think Daryl's like?"

"That's what I KNOW Daryl's like." he said smugly. "I've seen a million Daryls. Enough to know that they're all the same. You're better than that Hallie. You have to see it. I had no choice but to take you away."

"Do you think you and I are going to be together? That we'll be a couple, Shane?"

"I don't know. But that's not why I'm doing this. That's not why I have to get you away from him."

"Then why? I don't understand. If you don't want me for yourself, why do you care if I am with Daryl or not?"

"Because. It's my duty. I have to help you. I'm a cop. It's what I do. I protect people."

"Shane, the world's over. You're not a cop any more. You're just like any other man. You don't have any more duties to - "

"Don't say that! Don't you EVER say that!" he roared, jerking the wheel violently, causing Hallie to bump her head on the window. "That's who I am. That's WHAT I am. It's all I have left."

"Shane, please. I never asked you to do this. I don't want this. You've hurt Sophia and Carol and the others and for what? Me? You don't know me. You don't know who I am. I'm just like them. I'm one of them white trash public aid people. I was put in foster care when I was a kid because my Momma was so strung out on drugs that she couldn't feed me half the time. She sold everything we had for crack and heroin and when that was done, she tried to sell me. A six year old. Do you know the type of guys who want six year old little girls, Shane? Yeah. Think about it. The state of Georgia raised me in foster homes where I was one thing-a monthly check. I wasn't a kid, I was a meal ticket. The one decent foster home I did have, I had to leave and then it was group homes from then on. Those were a fuckin' treat, too. The only reason I have a college education is because of the state, because of their self-serving, do-gooder college scholarship program...and all college taught me is how to drink. You think you know me? You never saw me passed out drunk. You never saw me drink in the bathroom at work and have to go back to a classroom full of kids and pretend everything was just peachy. You never saw them pump my stomach because I tried to kill myself with booze and pills just to get away from everything. You don't know anything, Shane!" Hallie's voice rose louder and more strained with each sentence until she was shouting at him, her bound hands slamming against the back of the seat out of frustration and rage.

XXXXX

Daryl had been gone for two days straight, staying in the woods hunting for Sophia, when he returned to find her gone. With Shane. Together. To say that he was unhinged was not even sufficient. Rick attempted to calm him, but it was futile. Daryl was like a wild animal, screaming, pounding, throwing things, knocking over tables and chairs in camp. The women and Carl stayed near or in the mobile home for the better part of an hour until he calmed down enough for Rick and Dale to try to talk to him.

"No. No. I don't believe it." he said, his face still red, his eyes on fire. "I'll never believe it. She hated Shane. She's crept out by him."

"Well, people do strange things when they're under stress. Maybe they, Daryl, maybe they found they had a lot in common and just decided to be together."

"Maybe he's fuckin' crazy and got her at gunpoint. Something ain't right. I feel it 'n my gut." Daryl moaned.

"He doesn't." Andrea said, sitting down at the picnic table where Dale was. "She's with him by her own free will."

"Andrea, how do you know that?" Dale asked.

"Because she told Carol and I two days ago. She said they had become close and just wanted to be by themselves. They were going to leave but they didn't want anyone to know when and where because..." The thin blonde took a deep breath and exhaled, waiting for the reaction. "...because they were afraid of what Daryl would do when he found out. They knew that staying here was not an option."

"You're fuckin' right it weren't no option!' Daryl yelled. He ran his fingers through his damp hair, making it stick out in all directions like a madman. "I find him I'm gonna' kill him. With mah' bare hands. Mark mah' words, Rick" Daryl's voice suddenly became very calm and quiet. " Shane Walsh 's a dead man."

XXXXX

Hallie woke up, her neck stiff from laying against the door, her arms and legs still tied up. The jeep had stopped and she could hear Shane opening the door and then walking around to her side. He opened the door and took off her blindfold. They were parked in front of a house. It was a low, hipped-roof stone house with boarded-up windows and a winding drive. There were no other finished houses around, the subdivision was incomplete, several houses were in various stage of completion, mostly only the bare framing complete. Even the street was just a gravel path, waiting to be paved when the apocalypse started.

Shane reached down and cut the ties around her feet and hoisted Hallie out of the vehicle. He guided her around the house to a side entrance and took her through a door to the inside. Inside the house was fairly dark because of the boarded-up windows. Shane lit an oil lantern and the room began to blow with a yellow-white light, shadows dancing as the flame bent and twisted. Shane motioned for Hallie to hold out her hands so he could cut her bonds. He tossed her a bottle of water from the refrigerator and pushed her towards the main hallway. He walked behind her closely, his hand on her shoulder, until they reached a room in the middle. He turned the knob and opened the door to what was a bedroom.

It was sparsely furnished, with a pedestal bed, dresser, nightstand. There were clothes still hanging in the double-closet. A battery-operated lamp was on the nightstand.

"Where are we?" Hallie said.

"Your new home." Shane said. "Sit down and relax. I'm going to bring our things in and then we can eat. Don't try anything. I'll be right outside." He walked out and closed the door. Hallie heard a scraping sound and realized that not only had he locked the door, but he'd moved a shelving unit from the hallway in front of the door to keep her from trying to get out.

XXXXX

Shane walked outside and unloaded the back of the jeep. He took the walkie-talkie from a black backpack and clicked the "on" button. The device squealed and screeched and gave nothing but static. "Shit." he spat. "Fuckin' SHIT!" Shane walked back into the house and down the hall to the bedroom door. He could hear Hallie inside, crying quietly. "I have to leave now." he said.

"No. You can't leave me here. I have no way of defending myself. Shane, don't. Please."

"I have to go out for a while. There's something I have to do. I won't be gone but an hour or two. You'll be ok. The house is secure. Just don't make a lot of noise in case there are walkers wandering by."

"Shane...Shane..." she yelled and kicked the door as she heard his boots in the hall She heard the back door slam and the jeep pull away. She tugged at the doorknob but she knew that it was useless. There was a shiny brass deadbolt, newly-installed, the key hole on the outside. Hallie sat down again and began to cry once more.

XXXXX

Shane pulled to within five miles of their camp and stopped on the top of the highest ridge. He took the walkie-talkie from the seat beside him and turned it on, pressing the call button. Static, scratchy and loud.

"Rick come in. Rick, come in, you copy?"

Static. "Rick, come in." Shane repeated about every thirty seconds until there was a loud clicking and the static subsided.

"Shane? Shane is that you?" the familiar voice on the other end loud, clear.

"Rick. Listen and do exactly what I say.""Shane where are you. Where's Hallie?"

"Rick. Do exactly what I say. Don't try to find us. We'll be long gone by the time you do what you're going to do next. About a mile on the east side of camp, through the big pines is a deer path. Take that path south for about 500 yards. There'll be a big rock. Go east from there about half a mile and you'll see a pile of brush and limbs in some thick grass. Dig there."

"Shane. Wait. What am I digging for?"

"Just do it Rick. Soon. Do it right away."

"Shane. Wait, I have to write this down. Hold on." Shane cold hear Rick scratching something. "East. Mile. Deer Path. South. 500 yards. Rock. East. Half a mile. Brush pile. Dig."

"Rick. Get going." Shane said.

"Shane, buddy. Wait. Where are you?"

Silence.

"Shane. What am I digging for?"

"Sophia." the voice on the other end said flatly. Then it was gone.

XXXXX

Smokey the Bear says, "Only YOU can prevent sad fan fiction writers." Read it? Review it!


	11. Chapter 11

**They're baaaaack! Thanks so much for the alerts and the faves. You are too much! **

**Please review. Thanks!**

**Chapter 11**

Shane put the jeep in the garage and killed the engine. It as an almost overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse that caused him to sit there for a minute. He knew that he had put Sophia in danger. He knew that he had turned everyone's world upside down for the last few days. He felt especially bad for Carol. Poor, pitiful Carol. He knew what he did was wrong. What he was doing was wrong. But he had to do it. There was no other way.

He knew that Hallie would not give up Daryl easily. But he had to do it. He had to try. He could not let another woman make a mistake. He was sure in his heart that he was doing the right thing - the only thing - he felt it in his bones, to his core. It had to be done. She had to see that she was not like them. Not deserving of the course of fate that she had set for herself when she started to gravitate to him. We watched her, he watched her start to turn. She was good. She was a good woman. He had to make her see that she was. He had to do it. Over and over, he told himself that he had to do it.

Shane had run across Daryl Dixons more times that he could count. In his line of work, Daryl Dixons were the number one cause of homicides for officers. Domestic calls gone wrong. Officer down. Shane knew what Daryl was completely capable of. He would hurt Hallie. He would hurt her over and over, making her think that it was her fault. Make her take the blame for all his shortcomings, all his faults. Shane couldn't have that. He wouldn't stand for it. He'd seen enough. He'd had enough. Daryl may have charmed her. May have even sweet-talked her into his bed. May have convinced her that he was different, he was just a good-old-boy, but Shane knew different.

Shane could see through it. It as all an act. All designed to pull her in, to lull her into a commitment. Get her in so far she couldn't pull away when the trouble started, and it would. Shane knew it would. Carol could tell her all about it - why didn't she? Why didn't she warn her? Why didn't Carol tell her that Daryl was just like Ed? Cruel. Mean. Ignorant. Vicious. Violent. Was there something about Carol that wanted Hallie to share her experience, a sisterhood born in pain and heartache? No, stop. STOP. Carol can't help it. It's all she knows. Hallie's not like that, she was nothing like Carol. She's not a victim, he told himself. She wasn't going to be one, not if he could help it.

XXXXX

Rick ran, holding the barely-legible scrap of notebook paper that Dale had copied from the rock-scratches Rick had made on his vehicle as Shane was rattling off directions. Daryl was behind him and both men were panting, running as fast as they could, slowing down only to check directions, to make sure they were on the right track. Finding Sophia. They reached the scrub of brush that Shane had described and stopped.

"Where?" Daryl yelled. "Where the fuck did he say she was?" Daryl's face was red, damp with sweat. He tried to catch his breath and bent over, his hands on his knees, crossbow flung behind his back.

"Right here! She's gotta be somewhere around here. He's buried her. He's fucking buried her!" Rick's voice was high, tight. Panic-stricken.

Both men began to scour the ground, looking for any sign of disturbance, anything out of the ordinary, anything buried. Daryl and Rick tapped and stomped on the ground, Daryl using a large tree branch, Rick the butt of his rifle. Rick was the first one to hit something hollow. The sound echoed through the woods and Daryl's head snapped. He jogged to Rick as they both began to call out for her. "Sophia! Sophia are you there? Sophia can you hear us? Answer Sweetheart, it's ok to yell."

"Help." a tiny voice, barely audible came from under the ground. "Help me!" The voice became louder as both men dropped to their knees and began clawing frantically at the leaves and dirt, tossing aside broken branches and handfuls of earth.

"Sophia. It's Rick. Daryl's here . Your Mom and the others are on their way. Hang in there, Sweetheart. We're going to get you out."

"I want my Mommy." the small voice said, beginning to cry.

"She's on her way, Sophia." Daryl said reassuringly. "You hang on, we're gonna' get ya' outta there fast 's we can."

Rick and Daryl dug and pushed and swept until they had uncovered the piece of plywood that served as the top of the makeshift vault. It was locked on top with a hasp and a padlock. "Damn it!" Rick said quietly. "I can't shoot the lock with her in there. It's too risky."

Daryl pulled out his hunting knife and began to dig at the screws holding the hasp in place. "I got this. This'll work. They ain't in there real deep." he said, continuing to dig and gouge the wood. As he worked, Carol and Andrea arrived, followed by the others. Carol began to cry as she ran up and saw Shane's handiwork. Her baby girl was buried in a box. Andrea caught her as she started to fall, holding her, helping her to sit a few feet away so Rick and Daryl had room to work.

"Sophia, Sophia listen to me." Rick said to the top of the box. He could hear her crying. "You Mama's here and we're gonna have you out of there real quick." He looked with raised eyebrows at Daryl.

"Real quick." Daryl said, as one side of the hasp popped loose. "Couple more minutes n' we're all set." he said, nodding his head as he worked desperately.

XXXXX

Shane set the plate on the dresser and walked to the bed. Hallie laid with her back to him, arms hugging herself tightly.

"You gotta eat. Ain't much, but you gotta eat."

Silence.

"Hallie. Please don't be like this. Don't hurt yourself. You have to eat something."

Again, silence.

"I'll be back later to check on you."

Shane returned to the living room and sat down in one of the chairs. Familiar. Comfortable. This had been his sister's house, newly-built. She and her husband had barely gotten a change to get moved in when the epidemic hit. He knew that they were gone because they both worked in the local hospital. Hospitals were the first places to fall. Those that managed to keep from getting bitten were gunned down by the military in a desperate attempt to control the contagion through eradication of anyone who may have been bitten.

Shane lowered his head to his hands and covered his face. He was tired. Bone tired. Mind-numbingly, dead-dog tired. It made it hard to think, hard to go on. He had to be strong. He had to keep going. He couldn't give up, couldn't give in. He had to keep on, one foot in front of the other, painful as it was. He had to go on.

XXXXX

Daryl busted through the wood with a loud hollow crunch and pulled the hasp with the padlock clean out with his hands. Rick and T-Dog grabbed a side of the piece of wood and pulled straight up, tossing it aside. By this time, Carol was standing next to them, her hands over her mouth, her red-rimmed eyes wide. Lori and Andrea each had hold of an arm.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Sophia cried, over and over as Daryl and Rick pulled her out together and handed her over to Carol. Both were sobbing as Carol wrapped her in her arms and hugged her tightly.

"My Baby." Carol murmured, "My Baby. You found my baby girl." as she held her daughter.

Daryl and Rick examined the box, either saying a word, only exchanging knowing glances. They put the lid back on the box and walked back to camp, behind the others. No one said much, other than to stop and occasionally hug Sophia, telling her how glad they were to see her again and how brave she was.

XXXXX

Daryl drained the beer, his fifth. Rick walked over to the lawn chair where Daryl had been sprawled since they returned with Sophia. His face was in a continuous snarl and it was real obvious to everyone around that despite the joy the everyone felt with Sophia's return, Daryl was not happy. Daryl Dixon was far from happy.

"Daryl, Buddy, you wanna' talk about it?"

"Ain't nuthin' ta' talk 'bout." he said, his voice thick, his words slurring a bit. "We got the lil' girl back. She weren't hurt. Everything's just fuckin' PEACHY!" he spat.

"Now, Daryl. We're all real happy that Sophia's back. I know you are. But underneath, it just leaves us with more questions, I know that. I got a feeling that's what's got you so upset tonight, too." Rick said, trying to be calm, keep Daryl calm.

"You tryin' to blow smoke up mah ass, Officer Grimes? Tryin' to di-fuse th' sit-chee-a-shun?" Daryl said, opening a sixth beer and taking a long gulp.

"No, Daryl. I surely am not. I would not try to insult you like that. I just mean that we still have a lot of...unanswered questions. About Shane. About why he did this. About where he and Hallie are."

"Don't fuckin' say her name. Don't. It don't matter none. She's gone, she's with him now n' that's tha' fuckin' end a' it."

"Daryl, don't say that. You don't know that. Did you ever entertain the thought that she may not want to be with him? He may be holding her against her will? That she didn't have a choice in going?"

"Hallie'd never go. She'd fight him. Tooth n' toenail, she'd fight."

"Probably. But look at what he did to Sophia? I know you've thought about what he did to that little girl, maybe he did to hold it over Hallie's head. To make her go with him. To keep her in line. She'd never put that little girl in danger if she could stop it. I know you've thought about it. To me, that's the only way she'd let this happen. She wouldn't leave you like this."

"You don't fuckin' know anythin' about it. You don't know what she said. You don't fuckin..." Daryl's voice trailed off as he turned his head away. "You don't know shit." he said, his voice hoarse, dry.

"I know you cared about her. Whether you want anybody to know or not. If you didn't you wouldn't have downed a whole six-pack tonight." Rick knelt next to Daryl's chair. "We'll find her. I promise. We'll find her."

"Yeah, fuckin' have at it. Don't think I'm a' gonna' lift a fuckin' finger ta' help ya." the drunk man said. "She' don't mean shit ta' me no more."

"Well, we'll find her and you can tell her that yourself then. But we have to look. Just in case."

"Ain't no fuckin' reason to on my account." Daryl said rising and wobbling back to his tent. "Ain't no just in case."


	12. Chapter 12

**As always, I don't own or make any claim to the WD. If I did, Andrea would be toast. **

**Chapter 12**

Hallie opened her eyes and blinked a couple times. It as still dark. The tiny lamp bedside the bed was the only light in the room. "You found me." she said, smiling sleepily.

"Of course I did." Daryl said, his fingers softly tracing the contour of her jaw. His hands were warm, soft.

"But how?"

"S' not important. I found you."

"Where's Shane? We have to get out of here."

"He's gone. It's just us now." Daryl said, kissing her forehead, then her eyelids, his hands running through her hair.

"Mmm... No. We have to go. We have to get out of here."

"Hallie. We're safe. It's just us now. Shane's gone. It's just the two of us." he said, his hands dropping to her waist, pulling her closer.

"Daryl, no. You don't understand. Please, just let's get out of here. I don't want to be here anymore."

Daryl looked at her, his eyes blue, soft. They were shimmery, like a mirage, fading, dancing, becoming darker with each second. Hallie couldn't take her eyes off Daryl's as they changed. Darker and darker, the shimmering started to effect all of Daryl now, his face, his neck, downwards, like nothing Hallie'd ever seen. He was...changing. She rubbed her eyes again. "No." she whispered as Daryl shimmered and wavered and morphed into Shane before her eyes. "No. No!" she cried.

"What's wrong?" Shane asked, his hands moving to hers now. "Hallie what's wrong?"

She jerked away, suddenly aware they were close. Shane was sitting on the bed next to her, his hands on hers. "Get away from me!" she screamed. "Get the fuck away from me!"

"Hallie. You were dreaming. What the hell is wrong with you?" Shane was confused. Hallie had been sleeping when he came in to retrieve her plate and check on her. He had sat down next to her, hoping to talk calmly, rationally. "Stop screaming. I'm not trying to hurt you. You were having a nightmare."

Hallie sat up, breathing deeply.

"What did you do with Sophia?" she asked, looking at him carefully, studying his eyes.

"Nothing. I told you, if you came with me she'd be safe. I told Rick where she was. They went to get her. She's fine."

"How do you know that? What did you do to her, Shane?" Hallie was almost afraid of the answer.

"I put her someplace safe. I made sure of that. She had plenty of food and water. I made sure she was warm, dry. No walkers could get to her."

"What did you do with her, Shane?"

"I...I put her some place safe."

"Where." It wasn't a question, it was a demand. "Where was she, Shane?"

"I made her a place. I hid her. She was safe." Shane tried to convince himself more and more.

"Shane."

"A box. I built a box. I buried it in the woods. Once you were here, I went back with a walkie-talkie and told Rick where to find her."

Hallie put her hand over her mouth, the bile rising fast, bitter, acrid. She looked at Shane, trying to remain in control. It felt like someone had hit her in the gut. She realized now the depth of his madness, the level of despair from which he was operating. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming, clenched her fists to keep from lashing out. She knew that she was shaking. That, she could not control. She knew that Shane had taken Sophia, that he was responsible for her disappearance. But she had no idea he'd gone that far. That he'd been driven by his demons to do that to a child.

XXXXX

"Get tha' fuck outta this tent an' man up, ya' pussy." the angry man snarled into Daryl's ear. His breath stunk like whiskey and stale cigarettes.

"Fuck off, Merle."

"No, YOU fuck off, Asshole! Yer' gonna' git up 'n get goin'. Get 'n that jeep wi' that fuckin' sheriff 'n look fer that girlie."

"Go away Merle. I ain't lookin' for her."

"You sure as shit are, Lil' Brother."

"Let it go, Merle. I don' wanna' look fer' her. We're done. She said all she had ta' say ta' me. I knew she din' want me. She was just usin' me to get ta' him."

"I swear, you ain't that fuckin' stupid, are ya'?"

"You know it 'n I know it."

"I'll be damn." Merle slapped the back of Daryl's skull hard. "You ARE that fuckin' stupid."

"Knock it off, Merle. You ain't even real."

"I said, get yer ass UP right now an' get yer shit together. Ya' gotta go find her."

"No, I ain't. She wants somebody else. She doesn't want somebody like me. Somebody...inexperienced." Daryl winced.

"You know she was lyin'." Merle shook his head. "You know she din't mean none a' that what she said. She was doin' it because of that crazy Spic cop. She was doin' it fer the kid."

"He's not a Spic, Merle."

"Who fuckin' cares? He's crazy. He's got yer' woman. He buried a lil' girl alive. You just wanna' sit here n' cry? Sit here n' nurse yer' hangover? What kind a' man r' ya? Now get up 'n get yer fucking ass out there and act like a Dixon. HUNT HIM DOWN!"

"What if yer' wrong? What if she's with him 'cause she wants ta' be?"

"Remember' the last time ya' fucked her, Daryl? You close yer' eyes 'n try ta' remember tha' look on 'er face. Ya' TELL me if she looked like she was thinkin' a' somebody else. Ya' tell me she din' want YOU?"

Daryl shook his head and closed his eyes again. Hallie's face appeared, her eyes closed, tiny beads of sweat on her upper lip, cheeks flushed as they moved in unison. She pressed her lips together and leaned her head back, arching her hips to him, a low moan building and then escaping from her lips. She opened her eyes, green and dark, filled with emotion, burning, other-worldly. "Daryl." she whispered dreamily. "I need you. Now."

Daryl opened his eyes. He stood, shakily, slipping into his pants. He threw his crossbow over his back and picked up a dufflebag of bolts, water bottles and rope. Checking his belt for his hunting knife, he strapped it on and knelt to unzip the tent flap. Squinting in the daylight, his head pounding, stomach churning with a combination of regret for six beers last night and anticipation for what the day might bring, he bent to close the tent behind him. "Thanks, Bro." he whispered.

XXXXX

Hallie stood up. It was morning, as far as she could tell from the boarded-up window. She began to pound on the door with the flat of her hand. "Shane!" she yelled. "Shane open this door!" She kept pounding until she heard his boots echo in the hallway. Keys jangled and she took a step backwards to give the door room to swing open into the room.

"I want out."

"No. I can't trust you yet."

"No, I know you can't. But I want out. I want a bath. I want to change my clothes. I want out of this room."

Shane walked into the room, rubbing the back of his neck.

"How do I know you won't run?"

"Where the fuck would I run to? I don't even know where we are." she said. "I ain't going nowhere. 'Cept out of this room. Please. Shane. Surely you had to think I would be ready to get out of here sometime. Let me out, ok?" she said softly. "I won't try to run. I won't try to stab you with a knife. I won't try to get your gun. Just get me out of here. I can't stand being cooped up in that room by myself."

"Ok. We'll try it. First, a bath. Get a change of clothes from the closet. There are towels on the shelves in the bathroom. Everything else is in there. The hot water is propane, so there's plenty. Knock yourself out." he said. "But I'm going to be right outside the door...and there are a few walkers out there, so forget about trying to climb down out the window and, oh, yeah., try not to sing too loud in the shower."

"Not a problem." Hallie said, walking to the closet. "Who's house is this?" she asked, scooting hangers from side to side until she found a plain green short-sleeved sweater and a pair of jeans. She held up the jeans. They were very long, but she thought they would fit otherwise. She moved to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Girls are all the same-top drawer, underwear. and bras. She grabbed the first pair of plain bikinis she saw, secreting them under the sweater.

"My sister's." he said flatly. "She's gone now."

"Oh. I'm sorry. " Hallie said quietly, slipping past him and starting to the hallway.

"Left." he called after her. Hallie wasn't sure if he was referring to where the bathroom was on the second floor, or to his sister's whereabouts. She turned left and saw the bathroom at the end of the hall. She stepped in and closed the door behind her, turning the lock securely. Turning on the tub, she let the water run and locked the stopper in place. She laid her clean clothes down on the counter-top and started to peel off her dirty clothes. She listened as she heard a thump outside the door and decided it was Shane being true to his word-he was right outside in the hallway. She stepped into the steamy tub and submerged herself to the neck. She closed her eyes and began to take a mental account of what she knew to be true and what she needed to do to get back to Daryl.

_A/N: I actually wrote this while waiting to watch tonight's episode, not knowing that Merle's appearance on the show was going to be a figment of Daryl's imagination as well. Gotta love a good kick in the imaginary pants! _


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks everyone! You're making me really good with the reviews and alerts and favorites! Hope to not disappoint!

Chapter 13

Hallie took the dried dishes from the drain board and put them in the cupboard as quietly as she could. Shane was sitting at the table, half reading a book on solar energy.

"You think you would be able to find the right stuff?" Hallie asked quietly, scooting the chair across from him out from under the table and sitting down.

"I think that's the only way to go. It's quiet. There are no moving parts. No noise, no moving turbine to attract walkers' attention. It would be safer, if you ask me."

"You've thought about this?" he asked, putting the book down.

"Sure. Why not. We're here for the duration, right?"

"S'far as I know we are." Shane nodded his head. "No where we have to be."

"Do you know where to get the parts to put a system together?" she asked. "Is there a store...or a house you've seen with solar panels we could disassemble?"

"No. I haven't seen anything. But we could look around, I guess."

"Well, did you look in the phone book?"

"What? Why - the phones haven't worked in forever."

"No, I mean for the location of a supplier. Just because we can't call doesn't mean we can't DROP BY. I'm guessing looters wouldn't be much interested in that kinda' stuff when there's booze and food for free at the nearest convenience store."

"Well, you got a point there. I'll have to check it out."

"Just saying...seems logical to me."

Shane picked up the book but wasn't reading. He was thinking. He was actually a bit confounded. That would have been the last thing he would have expected out of her mouth. Thoughts on a solar energy system. From Hallie. It all seemed so...permanent. So unusual. So planful, like she was thinking about the future. Their future. Shane shook his head to himself, no, it wasn't possible. She couldn't have been. But still...what she said, to look for systems already out there, check out suppliers locations in the area. It made sense. She was thinking forward. Not about the past.

XXXXX

"You don't have to do that."

"I need to take a shower myself. I don't think you want to sit on the john while I do that. Come on, don't buck me on this."

"I'll be fine here. Really. I have some jeans to hem up. There's not enough light in the bedroom and seriously, have I given you any reason not to trust me? Come on, you could be in there and half done by now." Hallie looked at Shane straight in the eye. "Go on." she said firmly.

Shane shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "You give me the slightest reason and I'll lock you up in there for a month."

"I know you will. Go." she nodded, looking back a the pair of jeans she'd just cut four inches of length off.

Shane walked to the stairs and turned around, pausing. Hallie's head was down now, he could see she was trying to push a straight pin through the thick denim fabric, muttering under her breath.

Hallie caught him taking the stairs by twos out of the corner of her eye. She knew that she wasn't going to do shit during his shower but sit and hem those jeans. She had to convince him that she was trustworthy. If he thought she'd be dumb enough, to try something stupid on the very first time he'd given her a chance to prove herself, he would never give her an opportunity again. She sat still and pinned up the jeans, listening to him walk around in his room, then walk down the hall to the shower, closing the door behind him. She began to hem the jeans, taking her time, making tiny stitches. She heard the rattle of the pipe as he shut the water off and she started on the second leg. In a couple minutes, she hear door open slowly, quietly.

"Shane?" she called. "You want a cup of coffee? I'm going into the kitchen and make me a cup. Do you want one?" she knew that he was listening, trying to figure out if she was really still on the couch or if she was covering because he'd caught her doing something. She sat still on the couch. After a second or two, she heard footfalls on the stairs. "Did you not hear me?" she asked.

"No."

"I asked you if you wanted a cup of coffee. I was going to go make myself one."

"Sure." he said, sitting down in a dining room chair between her and the kitchen. He looked at her as she stood up and sat the jeans on the couch where she'd been sitting, watching her walk past him and into the kitchen while he tied up his boots. He stood up and walked over to the jeans, picking up the hemmed leg, inspecting her work. It was obvious that she'd been sewing while he showered. Tight, small stitches, one leg completely done. She couldn't fake that if she'd been up moving around while he was upstairs. He took a breath and sighed a little under his breath. He could hear her humming softly as she clinked mugs and ran water into the kettle. He could hear the click-click of the burner trying to ignite and whoosh of the gas flame as she set the water on to heat up. He allowed himself to smile slightly, briefly, as he adjusted his laces.

XXXX

Daryl rolled over on his mattress and buried his face in the pillow, breathing deeply, trying to catch a whiff of her scent. For a couple weeks now, it had been slowly fading, a fleeting reminder of their time together, more difficult to capture with each night. He allowed himself to remember her in tiny dribbles, a memory or two at a time...no more, never any more. The way she giggled when he rubbed his chin on the base of her neck. The feel of her soft, warm mouth on his as her hair spilled around him, hiding them from the rest of the world, shrouding them from everything outside, just the two of them.

Remembering more was trouble. It brought back a flood of emotions that washed over him like a tidal wave, uncontrolled and destructive, taking down his will with ease. A quiet force all its own, allowing himself to feel the loss, the sadness, the desperate need to reach out for her again, coupled with the helplessness, the hopelessness of the situation. No. He would not surrender. to it. He fed his mind the memories of her like a man climbing down a mountain, the rope in carefully measured increments, held taught to keep from slipping, from tumbling further into the dark crevasse.

They had been looking for over two weeks now. Searching for any signs of clues, anything left behind, intentionally or otherwise. Any possible hint of where Shane and Hallie were. Sophia had been no help. She had not seen Hallie after Shane took her. All that she could remember was Shane calling her to the edge of the tree-line and then grabbing her as she got near. After that, she could remember nothing except being inside the box. He didn't speak, he wasn't there when she woke up and there was nothing about Hallie to recall. Rick had spoken to Daryl about this, reframing it in positive terms. Hallie wasn't in on it. She wasn't involved, he kept insisting to Daryl.

They worked in teams, alternating days off to keep life at camp going on as usual. Concentric rings spanning out from the camp, ever widening. The down-time to siphon fuel from abandoned vehicles was offset by their combing through cars looking for food, drugs, weapons and ammunition. Rick knew that Shane had one of the walkie-talkies, so about every other day, he would attempt to make contact, hopeful that it would be Hallie to answer and tell them where they were. Or, if Shane were to answer, that there would be a noise or something on the other end to identify their position, a clue, a hint. Nothing.

There were so many places he could have her. Daryl squinted a bit the first time days ago when he realized his thinking had definitely changed. Shane could have her. He thought Shane could have her. Not, where they could be hiding. Where Shane could have her. It wasn't an option for him anymore to think she had gone willingly. He had accepted Rick's premise that she'd done it because of Sophia. To keep her safe. For no other reason. He wanted to accept it. He had to accept it.

XXXXX

"Did you love her?" Hallie asked him point blank. They were eating supper. It was late, the kitchen was becoming darker by the minute as they ate their canned beans and ham, a yellow-orange glow from the cracks in the boards covering the windows cast a warm haze throughout the room, sending dust particles in poker-straight rays across the kitchen.

"What?" Shane looked at her. Up until now, they had not been speaking, choosing to eat in silence.

"Lori." she said, wiping her mouth off with a paper towel. "Did you love her?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I just do. I think you did. I think you still do." she said, shrugging.

"Wow. This is some way to get a conversation started."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Did you? Do you?" she pressed, her eyes never wavering, never blinking.

"Does it matter?" he said, lowering his to his plate, shoveling a mouthful of beans in and returning the fork to poke the cubes of ham, trying to avoid the subject.

"Yes. It mattered to you. It still does. You can't go through what you two did together and just shut off your feelings like a faucet. Just because Rick happened to make it out and come back to her. Jesus, Shane." she said, waiting, watching for his reaction.

"Yeah, well. We did. I did, so just drop it."

"Ok, your call." she said, picking up her plate and rising from the table. "I just think you did what you had to do and you came out with the shitty end of the stick. That's all." Hallie smiled quietly to herself, her back to him now.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"I mean, you were Rick's partner. She was his wife. You guys were close. Rick was gone. You both needed somebody. Lord knows nowadays there's nothing wrong with that. Things happen. You're human. You feel things. You made a promise to keep Carl and Lori safe, you did what you had to do. You kept that promise and SURPRISE! Rick comes back and you're just left hanging. Out in the cold. Alone. Like you're supposed to pretend nothing happened. Turn off your feelings? Just pretend they're not there anymore? Move on? Right?"

"Right." he said , nodding. "Right."

"People can't do that. They just can't they love somebody one day and shut it down the next. You can't care about somebody and then be expected to flip a switch and forget that you do Pretend that those feelings are gone. It doesn't happen like that, does it?"

"No." he agreed.

"No. People don't operate like that. We don't get to decide who we love and who we don't. We can't stop on a dime and turn it off. Forget about things, forget about our feelings. People just can't turn off what that feel, just because, can we?" Hallie turned back towards him, leaning against the sink.

"No, we can't." Shane said, his eyes staring at her, expressionless.

"Then what the fuck makes you think I'm ever going to just forget about Daryl?" she said quietly as she threw the dishtowel in her hands to the floor and walked away from the sink, towards the living room stairs.


	14. Chapter 14

**Rated M for violence and language. No kidding. Rough stuff here. **

**Thanks everyone for your continued support. Your encouragement never ceases to amaze and honor me!  
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**Chapter 14**

Hallie heard the door lock behind her and smiled. She made a quiet tic-mark in the air and thought, score one for me. Fuck you very much, Shane, old buddy. She took her shoes off and changed into a t-shirt she'd found in one of the dresser drawers. Whoever Shane's sister was, she was either tall or she wore her husband's old shirts to bed. She laid down and let the minutes pass, trying not to over-think things. She knew that she had started something with her remarks and she wasn't surprised at his reaction. Locking her in the room. He had to know how much she hated that. It was a payback, pure and simple. What she was unsure of was if the payback stopped there.

Hallie closed her eyes and thought about Daryl. Her heart hurt just trying to picture him, laying there on the bed in his tent, shirt off, sleeping on his back with this arm over his eyes. She could see him, his chest tanned, the sparse hairs sprinkled across it slightly blonder than on his head. Peach fuzz, she had teased him once about it and he had gotten a angry. That mood changed, however when she distracted him by kissing him softly all across his chest, pausing at each tiny brown nipple long enough to leisurely circle them with her tongue. When they were sufficiently wet, she would blow on them gently, causing him to moan out loud and grab her hair forcefully. Daryl had gone from being a little pissy to ripping the buttons off her shirt within just a few short seconds, flipping her over quickly and taking her with very little foreplay. In this case, there was simply no need. Hallie remembered everything vividly and bit her lip to keep from welling up, turning her face to the pillow and hugging it tightly when the tears started, as if it could possibly be a substitute for him.

XXXXX

Shane finished the bottle and tried to stand up. He made it to the stairs and sat down hard on the second step. He had become more angry with every shot. Now the whiskey was a burning in his belly, the heat in his blood. The voice in his head. _Fucking little bitch_, he spat, _I gotta teach her a lesson_. _Who the fuck does she think she is? She don't know shit about me. Don't know nothing. She does not...know...who she's dealing with. _

Shane tried to climb the stairs, wobbling, hanging onto the railing to keep from teetering and falling backwards. It was more difficult with each step. His eyes were burning as bad as his gut. He belched loudly, bile rising higher with each step as well.

He reached in his jeans pocket and fished out the set of keys on the heavy metal ring, dropping them twice before he was able to pick out the key and shove it in the lock, gouging the surrounding brass as he pushed it in. Hallie heard him coming when he hit the stairs. She wasn't surprised. She'd pushed a button this evening after dinner and she was anticipating retaliation.

Hallie knew he'd been drinking before she turned around. She could tell by the sound of his boots on the steps, but his gait down the hall, by the fumbling with the lock and now, the sweet acidy smell as he threw open the door. Shane had been drinking. A lot.

She was prepared. She had moved to in front of the dresser, in front of the mirror so that he could see his own reflection in the mirror. He was sweating, his hair damp, face flushed. His eyes were black as pools of tar, burning with hollow, empty anger. It caught him by surprise and made him even more angry. _She did this_ his mind raced. _She turned you into a monster. Make her pay._

He raised his finger and pointed it at her, the end crooked permanently from the last tackle of the game against Valdosta in the playoffs his junior year. "Who...the...fuck..." he said, moving towards her as fast as he could, finger still pointing, almost catching his toe in the thick carpet. when he reached her, he grabbed her by both arms and shook her hard. "Who the fuck are you to tell me that shit?" he said, punctuating every word with a shake.

"Stop it, Shane, you're drunk."

"You fucking well...better believe...I'm drunk." he hissed, pushing her hard into the dresser, it's big mirror rattling as her back hit the edge of the surface.

"Stop it, you're hurting me." Hallie protested. She jerked to the side suddenly and he let loose of her upper arm, only to have him grab a handful of hair as she turned. "Fuck, STOP IT SHANE!" she said as he pulled her back against him. He put his hand around her neck, squeezing hard enough to leave bruises which would be dark, purple-blue the next day.

"You don't know me." he snarled in her ear. "You don't fucking know..." he was breathing hard. "...anything about me...or her. You don't know how I loved her." he said, wincing, his head now resting on Hallie's. "I fucking loved her. I loved her."

Hallie put her hands to her neck and began to try to pry his fingers off, one by one. "Let me go, Shane." she said hoarsely. He let go and she took a step away, rubbing her neck gingerly

"I have to make you see." he said, his eyes glazing over now. His grip loosened and he leaned against the dresser to steady himself.

"I've seen all I want. You didn't love her. You used her. You used Carl." she hissed. She had taken three steps away from him and turned back towards him. She as taking a calculated risk now. Pushing further intentionally. "You never loved them. You left them. You let them go without a fight." Before she could finish, Shane had managed to leap at her, his face full of anger once again. He drew and smacked Hallie with all the force he could manage, across the face, the blow leaving an ugly welt across her cheekbone.

"Don't you fucking say another word, you bitch!" he screamed. "Don't you..." Slap. "...fucking say..." Slap. "...another..." Slap "...word." He hit Hallie repeatedly with the back of his hand, across the same cheekbone, this time scratching her with a nail, drawing blood and giving her a black eye. She stood up and looked at him, her lip starting to swell, her cheek dripping onto the t-shirt. She looked over his shoulder at the door and then in slow motion, back to him as she started to try to run. She knew that he was would be quick, even in his drunken condition, but she miscalculated just how quick he could still be.

Before she reached the door, he tackled her by the legs, bringing her down with him, knocking her knees into the carpet, rug burns stinging as she kept struggling. He was on top of her now, heavy, breathing hard. He pulled her arms behind her and pinned her easily with one hand, Hallie continuing to scream. He clasp his hand over her mouth, pulling her neck violently upwards toward him. Hallie let out a moan and stopped struggling, going limp underneath him.

He let go of her arms and pushed her down by the shoulders, trying to roll off of her and stand. "You fucking little bitch." he said between gasps for air.

"You WANT me to...feed you to the next...walker that passes by?"

"Yes. You'd better."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?

"I want to die. Just like you."

"I don't want to die."

"Yes you do. You just aren't man enough to do it yourself." she whispered.

"Maybe not, but I'll sure as hell kill you if you do anything like that again." he said, pulling her up by her hair. "I fucking mean it."

"Then do it, you fucking pussy." she screamed at him. Shane looked at her, not quite knowing what to do. Focusing was hard to do right now. "I didn't think so." she said. "You don't have the balls. You wanted Lori but you gave up as soon as her old man came back. She dropped you to run back to that skinny little asshole that use to follow you around in high school like you were a god. You let her go. You didn't have the balls then and you don't have them now." Hallie kept pushing every button she could think of.

Shane was off his knees and standing in front of her. They were inches apart, his jaw set, eyes wild with rage. "You buried a little girl in a box, Shane, and for what? Me? Because you have a desperate need to save some state-raised, piece of shit junkie's kid that's only too happy to fuck Daryl Dixon every time he looks sideways at her? Because you think you're some knight on a white horse and it's your mission from God to save us poor defenseless women who don't know any better?" Hallie reached out and slapped him across the face. "You don't got the balls to save anybody, Shane. You're weak. You're a fucking coward. You want to die, you just want Daryl to come do your dirty work for you. You're can't even keep a two-timing slut like Lor-"

Before Hallie could finish, Shane doubled his fist and punched her in the stomach as hard as he could, sending her to the ground, causing her to hit her head on the corner of the nightstand as she fell. He was seeing double now and knew that he needed to get out of there. He almost tripped over her unconscious, crumpled body and walked out of the door, slamming it hard enough to crack plaster and knock pictures off the wall in the hallway. He barely got it locked and managed to stagger down the hallway to his own room, bumping into walls and knocking over furniture. He collapsed on the bed and passed out, his hand still stinging from slapping her, her blood drying on his fingers.

XXXXX

Hallie woke up, or more accurately, came to, mid-morning. Her head throbbed and her whole face was on fire. She pulled herself up to sitting and leaned against the bed. Making Shane hit her wasn't difficult, she just didn't calculate how hard or how much he was going to. She stood up carefully, the room spinning. Every muscle ached like she'd been run over with a semi-truck. She drug herself to the dresser to look at Shane's handiwork in the mirror.

Hallie was taken aback when she saw her reflection. Her face was bruised on one side from her jaw to her forehead. The gash where she slammed against the corner of the dresser was deep, open, still fresh with blood. There were four long linear finger mark bruises on one side of her neck and a thumb mark bruise on the other. Her eye was swollen and purple-blue, the white now dark pink-red with busted blood-vessels. Her lip was split and there was dried blood crusted on her chin and down her oversize t-shirt.

_Holy shit_, she whispered under her breath. _Get a load of me. _Her ribs hurt and her knees were still stinging from the rug burn, the scrapes and abrasions ugly red.

She sat down on the bed, hands in her lap, and took a deep breath. _MacAllister, _she told herself, _this had better fucking be worth it because you look like hell and you feel even worse_. She laid her head down on the pillow and closed her eyes, falling asleep again in a matter of minutes.

XXXXX

Shane opened the door shakily, afraid of what he was going to find. He knew that he'd lost control last night. The blood on his hand and under his fingernails was a tell-tale sign, although he really couldn't remember much other than being really, really angry and drinking way too much.

Hallie laid on her side, facing away from the door. He walked over and stopped short of the bed. "Hallie." he said quietly. When there was no response, he said it louder. "Hallie."

"Yes, Shane?" she said softly. "Did you need something."

"Look at me."

"It's ok. I'm fine." she said.

"Look at me." he said, taking a step towards the bed.

"No, really. I'm ok. It'll be fine."

"Let me see you." he said, taking another step.

Hallie rolled over and sat up gingerly. "It's ok, Shane. You had to do it. You're just trying to protect me. To keep me from getting...hurt." she said, looking up at him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Follow = Review. It's only fair, Y'all! If you don't, I'll send Merle after ya! **

**Chapter 15**

Daryl sat his crossbow down on the picnic table and looked at the woman standing in front of him.

"What?" he said flatly.

"Not here." she said quietly. "In private." Lori was thin, bone-thin. Her long dark hair was even thin. She looked tired, washed-out, with dark circles under her eyes and an almost-constant pained look on her face.

"Don't have time fer' any a' this shit, Lori, whadda' ya' want?" He spit out the dried blade of grass he was chewing on and squinted at her in the bright sun of the afternoon.

"I...I may..." she stammered. "I may know where he's at. Where they're hiding." She looked around to see where her husband was at.

"Yeah, uh-huh." he said, looking at her with a good amount of disbelief. "Where's that?" Daryl was not interested in any more of the drama. He knew what Lori had done, he'd seen them together, heard them together. Lori and Shane. Rick was still clueless, dumb bastard. None of this probably would have happened, he thought to himself, if Lori had just kept her legs shut when her husband died, or rather, when she THOUGHT her husband died. Wasn't like she had any actual proof of that other than what Shane told her, which, Daryl thought, would have been a big reason to doubt it. Oh, your husband died in the hospital, Lori, I couldn't save him. Here let me comfort you by shoving my dick in you. Daryl chuckled to himself at the thought of Shane Walsh trying to be suave, smooth, seductive. Daryl wandered just what Shane's "big move" would have looked like.

"One time...he mentioned that his sister and her husband were building a house. It was done for the most part but his sister was bitching that the developers had started selling the lots around them and there was a lot of new construction started. The noise as disturbing her peace."

"Pillow talk, huh?" Daryl grinned wickedly.

"Shut up." Lori huffed. "This was right when the epidemic hit. Shane said it would be perfect place to hole up because it was out in the middle of nowhere, lots of space and no other people around yet because the houses weren't done. He figured there would be hardly any walkers to have to deal with."

"What happened ta' tha' sister n' her man?" Daryl was rubbing the stubble on his chin with his index finger now, interested in what she had to say. This could be the first real thing they had to go on. Deep down, Daryl was

"They both worked at a hospital downtown. Shane was pretty sure that they were both gone. They weren't that close, but he knew about the new house."

"Just where's this place supposed ta' be?" he asked.

"I think it was just outside of Norris Lake. I think. I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but Norris Lake."

"'bout twenty-five miles 'r so a' here. Guess 'ey could be there." Daryl ran his hand absentmindedly through his hair. "Ya' sure?"

"Not totally. Its' just...something he said once. "

"What'd Rick say?"

"I haven't told him."

"Why not?" Daryl looked at her and squinted some more. "Why didn't ya' tell us this when they took off?"

"I didn't think of it right away. I wanted to tell you first. It might be..."

"Awkward" Daryl smirked.

Lori raised her hands, shrugging and turned away. "I just thought it might be a good place to check out." she said over her shoulder.

XXXXX

Rick and T-Dog looked at the tattered map, unrolled on top of the hood of the truck. Daryl walked up and pushed between them bruskly, stabbing the map with his finger.

"We're goin' here." he said firmly planting his finger on the words "Norris Lake."

T-Dog and Rick squinted at the map and looked at each other.

"Norris Lake? Why?"

"Call it a hunch." Daryl said, walking around the hood of the truck and opening the driver's side door. "Hit the fuckin' road." he said, slamming the door and turning the key in the ignition. "Ain't got all day."

XXXXX

Hallie pulled on a pair of the jeans that she'd hemmed and a loose t-shirt. She grimaced as she pulled her long hair up into a pony tail and slipped the end back up under the rubber band to halve it's length. Her face was still sore, ugly blue and green bruises now. Her eye was not much better. She had a found a box of butterfly bandages in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and one was holding together the two edges of the gash on her forehead.

She sat on the edge of the bed, tying her boots, and waiting for Shane to bring breakfast. He wasn't letting her out much the last couple days, bathroom breaks and a shower. That was about it. He also wasn't talking much to her. Really, what could he say after the beating he'd given her. It was hard for him to even look at her, much less think of something to say.

Hallie heard the footsteps and the key in the lock. Shane opened the door but didn't come in. "Downstairs." he said in an empty voice. She rose and followed him downstairs to the kitchen, keeping a couple steps behind, watching his every move. He motioned for her to sit at the table. "I have to be able to trust you." he said, setting a plate of pancakes and fried canned ham in front of her.

"Have I tried to run? Tried to get away? Have I tried ANYTHING, Shane?" she asked quietly.

"No." he said.

"No." she repeated. "I have not." She looked at him, eating slowly. "So now what?"

"I need to go for supplies. I don't want to leave you here alone."

"Well that's good because I don't want to be here alone. I want to go with you."

"Don't think that's going to happen."

"Yes it will. You need someone at least as a lookout. I don't expect you to give me a weapon." she shook her head, not taking her eyes off him. "A second set of arms would be a help, too."

"I suppose." he shook his head. "I just don't like it."

"How about if I do anything wrong, just leave me there for a walker."

"Don't be stupid." he said. "I'd just fucking shoot you."

"So when do we leave?" she smiled, ignoring his threat. She knew damn good and well that he wasn't serious.

XXXXX

Hallie worked for hours late that night, bending some of the pipe cleaners into loops, straightening one side of others. Finding the bag of craft supplies in the back of the closet was a lucky break. She used every one of the brightly-colored strands she could find, working quietly, quickly. The next morning, she stuffed two handful of the cleaners up the right sleeve of her baggy sweatshirt and waited for Shane to escort her to the vehicle for their trip into town. They were ready to go out the door when she stopped suddenly, asking him to wait there while she bounded back up the stairs to her room, retrieving the windbreaker with the remaining cleaners in the pockets and sleeves. "Kinda' looks like rain." she smiled, jogging back to Shane at the front door.

The drove in silence into the nearest town and stopped at a strip mall on a two-lane coming east out of downtown Atlanta. They hit four or five stores before the walkers were became more of a problem than the occasional nuisance. Shane was using a rifle, which albeit effective, did make a fair amount of noise and attracted more walkers eventually. They were able to find food, some ammunition, medicines, candles and fuel oil, and some other supplies. Hallie knew that Shane was watching her like a hawk, so she stayed close and followed his every direction.

They were on their way out of one of the small shops, Hallie paused at a rack of make-up. She looked at Shane. "Can I?" she asked. "Please?"

"Knock yourself out. Just hurry up." Hallie walked around the back side of the rack, away from Shane and stuffed her pockets with a handful of cherry red lipstick. She walked back around and said "Oh, here it is...blackest black. My same mascara!" she said, plucking a couple cards from a peg.

XXXXX

Hallie stuck her arm out the window, feeling the breeze. "God, this fresh air is wonderful." she smiled and said loudly. They had just left town and Shane was driving slowly on the two-lane. Every minute or so, Hallie dropped a pipe-cleaner from her sleeve on to the road. She ran out eventually and slipped on her windbreaker. "Getting nippy!" she shrugged, as she continued to drop the cleaners unnoticed.

XXXXX

Rick pulled off the interstate on to the two-lane and headed through a series of small towns, Daryl and Glenn following behind in Daryl's truck. They continued for several miles, occasionally stopping for a walker or to push an abandoned vehicle out of the roadway so they could pass. They came to a stop at a large green sign that welcomed them to Norris Lake. There was no lake and no town, but they were sure welcomed to Norris Lake. They spoke briefly and Daryl indicated that he wanted to start checking out the small towns in the area. Especially the ones out of the way, isolated, still under construction.

They drove for about a half-mile to a bedroom community with a few stores, strip mall, and a few churches and bars. Nothing unusual, a fair amount of walker activity, as if something had stirred their interest and they were gathering to find out what noise they heard. "Could be nothing." Glenn said. "Dog barking, something falling, you know walkers, they hear something, they come shuffling to check it out."

"Could be." Daryl said. They checked out a couple places and got back in the vehicles, moving on down the road towards the next town.

T-Dog slowed down. "Rick, what the fuck are those things in the road?" he asked. I've seen three or four of them now."

"Don't know. Looks like fuzz to me."

"No, they're always on the right-hand side. Regular-like. It's too much of a coincidence." the large man argued. "Slow down. There should be one ahead."

Rick slowed the van down to a crawl. Sure enough, there was something yellow and pink in the right-hand lane. Dog opened the door and leaned out, snatching it as they went by.

"What the hell is it?" He said. "A pipe cleaner?" They looked in the road and passed another one. Rick slowed down and Dog leaned out the open door and picked it up. "What the hell?" T-Dog rubbed his bald head, trying to make sense. "It's like, it's a...trail of these."

Rick shot T-dog a glance. "Get out." he said. "Pick up the next one too."

Rick slowed the van and motioned for Daryl to come along side.

"What tha' fuck, ya' cruising fer roadkill?" Daryl asked, shouting across Glenn.

Rick handed Daryl the pipe cleaner. "What do you make of this?" he said. "Somebody's dropped them at regular intervals all along this road. Dog sprinted back to the vehicle and handed Rick another.

Daryl looked at the pipe cleaner curiously. He held it up, examining it from all sides, it was bent in a oval, crossing over itself on the end and then flattened across the end like a circle with a triangle attached. "They all look like that." Rick said, "Except for this one." Rick handed Daryl another. This one was totally different. It was two flattened half-circles, linked together. Each circle was flat on a side. They looked like two stirrups linked. Daryl turned the truck off and got out to stretch his legs. He laid the two shapes on the ground, side by side, the oval with the flattened end and the two linked stirrup shapes. He stood up and paused, chewing on his thumbnail, thinking, studying.

"Fuck me." he said. "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." he started shouting like a madman and jumped up, throwing a fist into the air. "Look." He turned the oval one over and laid it out so that the flat end was on the right. He flattened the other two so that they both faced the same way, the flat part on the left, the bow on the right, one next to and slightly lower than the other.

Glenn squinted and looked at the others, pointing at the first one. "That one looks like a whale." he said.

"Ain't no fuckin' whale," Daryl grinned. "s' a fish."

"Ohhh...sure." the other three agreed.

"Yeah, I can totally see that." Glenn said.

"That there," Daryl paused and started to laugh, "is me."

"Are those letters?" T-Dog said.

"Fuckin A' right!" Daryl yelled, his head thrown back. "It's from Hallie. It's a fuckin' fish an' two God- damn D's. It's gotta be her. She fuckin' hates fish. It's a sign. She's tryin' ta' leave a trail!"

Rick took off his hat and wiped his brow while Daryl turned suddenly and wiped out a walker that had come up from the tree line next to the highway. "Fucker, I ain't got no time ta' mess wi' yer' dead ass today." he spat, pulling the bolt from the skull with a wet squelching sound.

"Daryl, it's pretty thin. Are you sure this isn't something some kid dropped."

"Only one way ta' find out."

"Right." Rick agreed. "We follow."


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks for all the comments and alerts and favorites. Please leave a review. **

**Ratings Warning...M for violence. It's been a long time coming...**

**Chapter 16**

"I want to go outside."

"No."

"I have to. I'm about to go crazy. I won't leave the yard. I won't even leave the porch. "

"No."

"Shane, really, there aren't many walkers and if there are, you can take care of them. Just let me get out. Riding with the window down yesterday made me realize how much I miss being outside. I think I proved that you can trust me. Shit, sit right there in the living room and watch me if you want. Just let me sit on the porch, read a book in the sunshine." Hallie looked at him with her best "little girl lost" eyes. "Please, Shane?" she said quietly.

"I'll think about it."

Hallie thought about the red lipstick in the watch pocket of her jeans. About the pipe cleaners she'd dropped. If they were still searching, and maybe ended up on that road, maybe, just maybe they would notice them. She closed her eyes and prayed that they would end up somehow on the highway and see the trail she'd left.

"Did you think about it yet?" she said, leaning against the chair, her arms crossed on top of her head, smiling.

"No."

"No you didn't think about it or no, you don't trust me enough to sit on the front porch?"

"Jesus Christ. You're a pain in the ass."

"Yes, I am." she grinned. "I'm a pain in the ass who needs to be outside in the sun."

"Oh Christ, just go then. Don't you get off the porch. I'm serious."

"I won't. Promise. Let me get a book." Hallie walked into the living room and pulled a book quickly off the shelf. As she walked back, she picked an envelope off the computer desk, taking care not to be seen by Shane. She tucked the envelope in the book and walked back into the kitchen.

"You wanna search me for weapons, Officer?"

"Very funny. I'll walk you to the porch."

XXXXX

Hallie read two chapters in the book and stood up. She slowly checked her pocket to make sure the lipstick was still there. She pulled it out and secreted it, cap off, in her palm. She walked, stretching her arms theatrically and rolling her neck. As she reached up, she leaned a hand back and made a mark on the door. Around and down and straight down and up and over, back down and around to where she started.

"Hey, Shane?" she called. "Can I walk to the mailbox?"

"No!" the muffled voice from on the other side of the boarded-up door. She knew that he'd been watching her off and on, through gaps in the boards, making sure she stayed on the porch.

"No, seriously. There's something in the mailbox. Let me run and go get it. I'm nosey. I wanna know what it is."

"Damn it."

"There aren't any walkers around. It's just at the end of the sidewalk. I'll run both ways.

"Alright." He said, giving in.

Hallie made a display of jogging down to the mailbox and opening the door. She turned around suddenly as if there were something behind her, distracting Shane from what she was really doing, which was switching the envelope from the book to her hand. She whirled back around and tucked the envelope and book between her thighs, putting her hands on top of her head, her fingers splayed out like antlers, to indicate to him that what she pretended to have heard must have been a deer.

She grabbed the book and the envelope from her thighs and held the envelope up, shaking it. She lowered it, pretending to study it. As she did, she took the red lipstick and quickly drew the same mark on the door of the mailbox. She jogged back to the porch and stood next to the door.

"I'm coming in." she said, smiling to herself.

XXXXX

The trail ended as quickly as it had started. They drove for about a mile further, hoping that this pause was like the last brief gap they'd seen, but there were no more pipe cleaners in the road. Daryl felt a dull ache in the pit of his stomach. It was like somebody gently strumming a base guitar. Slow. Rhythmic. Barely perceptible, more of a feeling rumbling around in his gut than a noise. He knew that they were on the right track, that he maybe closer to finding her than he'd been since they disappeared.

The van pulled along side the truck and the four men discussed their options. They could stay and pick up early the next morning or they could return to camp and begin again in the same place they'd left off today. Daryl would have opted for staying, but they had not made plans to overnight and he sure as hell wasn't snuggling with Glenn to stay warm in the back of the truck. T-Dog and Rick could do what they wanted in the van, but his happy ass was coming back at first light. Emphasis on happy ass. For the first time in days, make that weeks, Daryl was hopeful.

XXXXX

Merle stood behind Daryl and whispered. He could smell the cigarettes on his breath. His ever-present b.o. He could almost feel the prickly stubble of Merle's beard against the back of his neck.

"Yer' close, Baby Brother."

"How close?"

"Dunno. Can't ya' smell her? I'da thought ya' could smell yer' own woman."

"She don't smell."

"Sure she does. All women smell. Some just smell better'n others. Mmm... Here fishy fishy." he leered. Merle leaned in closer and took in a big breath, exhaling loudly through his nose, the hairs on the back of Daryl's neck standing up. "She smell better 'n tha' others, Faggot? Oh, I done forgot. Ya' got nothin' ta' compare her with, do ya?"

"Shut up. Yer' a fuckin' pig, Merle?"

"Now that's no way ta' talk to yer Big Brother, Asswipe." Merle smacked the back of Daryl's head with his hand. "'Specially when I'm a-tryin' ta' tell ya' somethin'."

Daryl reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "What tha' fuck do ya' want, Merle?"

"I'm tryin' ta' tell ya' ta' git yer' ass in gear. Hurry tha' fuck up n' find that little cunt. She needs ya'."

"Tryin' Merle." Daryl grimaced at his brother's language.

"Fuckin' try harder." the big man said. "Come on, now, ya' forget everything I ever taught ya'? She's leavin' ya clues. Pretend she's a fuckin' deer. She sure weighs less 'n tha' last one ya' bagged. Git yer' head outta' yer' ass an' track her down. She's with that pussy cop. I couldda' found that som'bitch wi' one hand tied behind mah' back an' mah' dick on fire."

"Then where is she, Merle?" Daryl snorted.

"Where YOU ain't looked yet." Merle said, walking around in front of Daryl and punching him hard in the gut.

XXXXX

Hallie scooted the canned chicken and noodles across the plate. She was watching Shane out of the corner of her eye.

"What is it you're so afraid of?" she asked him.

"I ain't 'fraid of nothing." Shane looked at her indignantly, his cheeks flushing.

"Then let me go."

"Hallie, we've been down this road before."

"Then tell me what you think Daryl will do to me that's so bad?"

"He'll hurt you."

"How? I think I can take a beating. Don't you think I proved that, Shane?"

"It's not just that. It's how he'll treat you."

"You mean he'll be like a typical abusive man? Like Ed Pelletier? You're afraid I'm going to be like Carol?"

"Yes. I don't want that for you." Shane sighed. "I can stop it. I can keep it from happening."

Hallie pulled her chair up close to him. "So, let me see if I understand." she said softly. She took Shane's hand in hers. "You care enough about me to keep me from turning into a victim." she sighed. "I appreciate that. You want me to be safe. You want me to be away from a man who will be physically and emotionally abusive to me. Somebody who'll make me doubt everything I do, everything I feel. Somebody who will control my every movement. Watch my every move, keep me on a short tether. Somebody who will take me away from everything and everyone I love, someone who will isolate me. Tell me what they're doing is for my own good. That only THEY know what's best for me. Someone like..." she paused.

Shane looked at her, the color draining from his face.

"you." she said quietly.

"Bitch!" he yelled and pushed her away with both hands, knocking the chair over, sending her sprawling. "I'm not like that."

"You are, Shane." she sat the chair back up and sat down calmly. "You are and I'm done with this. I'm tired and I want to go home. I'm through, do you hear me?" her voice was a monotone, quiet, measured, no emotion at all. "Here's how it's going to go. I'm going to go upstairs and start packing. You're going to leave me alone and you're not even going lock the door behind me. Tomorrow morning you're going to drive me within walkie-talkie range of camp and we're going to call Rick to come and get me. You can leave and go wherever you want to but I'm going back to camp. I'm quite serious. One way or another, I'm leaving this house tomorrow morning. It's over. I'm finished with you and your crazy shit."

"I don't think so." he said, glaring at her. "You're not going anywhere." his voice rising.

"Yes, I am. We're not going to argue. You want to hit me, choke me, smack me around, fine. If you're going to kill me, then do it. I've made up my mind. It's over."

"You really think so?"

"I know so. I'm leaving, dead or alive. Either way, you end up alone and I'm away from you."

"Now who's the crazy shit?"

"You still are, Shane."

"I think it's time for you to go to your room." Shane stood up, kicking his chair backwards, sending it flying across the room.

"No, Shane." Hallie was still calm, unemotional. "That's not part of the plan."

Shane grabbed Hallie by the arm and pulled her up to standing. He tried to drag her across the kitchen, but she wrenched her arm away, slapping at him, scratching his face with her other hand. "I said no, Shane." she said. She lunged for a can of cooking oil spray on the stove and turned towards him, flipping the cap off and pressing the button as she aimed it for him. She hit him squarely in the face, the oily spray coating his eyes, getting in his lungs and nose, making his vision blurry and his breathing difficult. She ran towards the door, pulling out drawers as she went, their contents crashing and clattering to the floor, making it difficult for him to walk. She turned at the edge of the counter and pulled the towel rack off, raising the slender wrought-iron rod like a weapon.

Shane lunged at her, half-tripping over silverware, egg beaters and spatulas, grabbing a knife from the pile on the floor, catching a leg as Hallie started to run for the door. She fell, knee first, twisting to try to strike him with the towel rod as they fell together to the hardwood floor As she fell, she felt a sharp pain and a snap behind her knee. She managed to hit him on top of the head, his arm coming up and grabbing at the rod as she brought it down on top of his head, shoulders, trying to hit him hard enough to loosen his grip on her leg.

"Fucking BITCH!" he yelled. He brought the knife up in an arc towards her and tried to slice anything he could reach but Hallie was turned now and with her free leg, she kicked his hand and sent the knife flying and skittering under a cabinet as it landed. She kept kicking at his head as she used her hands to try to scoot away from him, desperately clawing backwards, kicking his head, shoulders, arms, anything she could reach.

Shane let go of his grip on her leg and pushed himself off with both hands, launching himself towards her, grabbing her, rolling them both over until they slammed into the base cabinet and he was on top of her. He hit her with his fist on her cheekbone, opening the previous wounds, blood pouring from her face now. She slapped and hit at him as he sat firmly on her stomach, immobilizing her torso. Her legs twisted and writhed trying to cause him to slip slightly off her. He punched her again and she saw stars behind her eyelids briefly.

Hallie doubled her fist and hit him hard in the groin, the angle causing her to lose force, but still enough to cause him to be distracted. He slammed her head against the floor and she hit him again in the crotch this time with both fists. Shane howled and grabbed her hands jerking them over her head, pinning them to the floor.

He grabbed both hands in one of his and brought his other arm down hard on her windpipe. Hallie tucked her chin down and bit the soft flesh of his forearm as the front pressed harder, causing her to start seeing black around the edge of her field of vision. She bit harder, tasting the coppery red liquid that poured from him into her mouth, between her teeth, slipping down her throat.

Shane yanked his arm away, causing further damage as she bit as hard as she could. He made the mistake of letting go of her hands. Hallie brought them down and around to his ears, swiftly cupping them, forcing air into his ear canal in a loud and painful clap. Shane yelled again as she forced the heel of her palm upwards on his chin with all her strength, causing him to bite his tongue and cry out in pain.

Shane rolled off of her and tried to stand, holding on to the counter-top to pull himself up, as Hallie tried to roll away, her head exploding, her throat throbbing. Shane forced his leg out in a kicking motion and connected with her thigh as she tried to stand and sent her sprawling towards the pile of metal and wooden on the floor. She would soon have small, odd-shaped bruises on her stomach, thighs and chest from where she landed on top of the various shaped- and sized implements. She grabbed a stainless steel meat fork and rolled over, reaching up and jabbing it into his thigh as he approached. He screamed and pounced on her, his hand grabbing at the collection of knives lying within his reach. His hand landed on a steak knife, it's wooden handle slender, it's edge sharp, pointed. He pressed it to her neck in one swift movement and held it there, out of breath, sweating, bleeding from his mouth and his thigh.

Hallie took a couple deep breaths and started to shake her head slowly. She could feel the cold, slick steel against her skin. She looked at Shane's eyes. They were black, dead, like he'd gone away and there was nothing but an empty shell now. She frantically moved her hand until she found the handle of something - anything within her grasp - and brought it up quickly and hit him across the side of the face. It was a heavy, metal ice-cream scoop. It didn't wound him, but it did distract him long enough for Hallie to bring her hand up and bump his, causing him to release the pressure on the knife at her neck. She took her fingers and slid them the length of the knife, slicing them as she went, the blood pouring down her neck. Shane blinked at the sight of the blood and Hallie wrapped the fleshy part of her now-throbbing fingers around the blade, pushing it back towards him suddenly, buying her precious room between the knife's edge and her jugular.

Shane tossed aside the knife in his hand and looked at her. It bounced off the table leg and came careening back, landing a few inches from her arm. He put his hands around her neck and started to squeeze. He stopped and loosened his grip slightly. "I'm done now too, you little bitch. I tried, but you just won't listen." Shane began to tighten his grip again, pressing harder, slamming her head down against the floor again. Hallie was starting to black out and made one final effort for anything in her grasp. She moved her hand back and forth, clumsily, and felt something sharp poke the side of her hand. She grabbed for it and felt a cool slice as the knife cut her fingertip. She grabbed for it as the room became darker and darker. She knew that if this didn't work, it was all over.

Hallie grabbed at the knife and turned it towards Shane, the dark circle getting bigger with every passing moment. Her head felt heavy, like it was full of lead. She jabbed the knife in his side, under his armpit, low towards his ribs. Shane hissed and let loose of her neck, turning in slow motion as Hallie withdrew the knife. He looked at her with white-hot rage and pressed his hand to his side, looking at the blood in his palm. Hallie brought the knife up in front of her and thrust it forward, using both hands. The tip of the carving knife entered between ribs at an angle, moving upwards, slicing as it went as Hallie buried it to the walnut handle. He gasped loudly, his eyes wild now, hands clawing at her as he fell backwards.

Hallie scooted away from Shane as he bled out, the dark pool widening on the kitchen floor. He didn't say a word, just looked at her, his eyes narrowing, then fading. The sound she made was low at first, continuing to become more loud, she could hear it like it was from another room, coming towards her quicker and quicker until her own scream became deafening and she clasped her bloody hands over her own mouth to muffle the noise.

XXXXX

A/N: Yes, he's coming... ;o)


	17. Chapter 17

Brea**the. Relax. Review.**

**Special thanks to Lammy for reminding me that it is not safe to got to sleep after you've been given a concussion...so remember that if any of you should get one from a crazed ex-cop who's dying (pun intended) to keep you safe.**

Chapter 17

Hallie leaned back against the cabinet door and closed her eyes briefly. Her mind was swimming and wanting to sleep at the same time. No, can't do that. Shane had managed to re-scramble her brain again and she knew that this time for sure, based on her dizziness and double-vision, that she had a concussion. She forced herself to open her eyes. She had to try to stand up and keep moving.

Hallie rolled over to her knees, rather, her one good knee. The right one was starting to swell and there was a white-hot pain that ran on the inside from above her kneecap to her shin. She pulled herself up by the counter-top, her right leg sticking out to the side, keeping weight off of it, and stood up. She was seeing stars again, flashes of brightly colored lights in the periphery, like miniature fireworks exploding. She gingerly put her right foot down and tried to straighten out her leg, crying out without warning at the searing pain. She knew that there was no broken bone, but that was little comfort realizing that it could be a tear to a ligament. FUCK! she said out loud.

She hobbled to the kitchen table and sat down in one of the still-standing chairs. The kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off. Furniture askew, cabinets open, drawers and their contents dumped on the floor, chairs toppled over. Then there was the dead body and the quickly spreading pool of dark black-red goo surrounding it, getting thicker with every minute as the blood congealed as it dried. She stared at it blankly, rerunning the details of their struggle over and over in her mind. She closed her eyes again and put her hands over her battered face, elbows on the table. She began to cry, small tears rolling down her bruised cheeks, their slight saltiness stinging her open wounds as they tricked down. The tears continued as the sobs grew louder, more forceful, wracking her entire body. She had killed a man.

It was late now. After midnight. The clock on the mantle in the living room was chiming it's little tin-y fake Big Ben chimes. She had to stay awake tonight. No choice. Hallie opened her eyes and looked at her hands and arms. Cuts and bruises. She opened her palm and revealed a horizontal slice across her four fingers, just between the first knuckles and her hand. There were more linear cuts across the fleshy part of her palm, but she knew that the bulk of the blood now drying on her hands was not hers, it was Shane's. She put her hand on her knee to massage away some of the pain, now throbbing up her thigh and down towards her lower calf, and decided it was better left alone. Every movement, especially sideways, caused more pain.

She wanted to put her head down on the table and rest. Just a little cat nap, just for a bit, but the voice in her head was screaming at her now. GET UP! GET MOVING. GO FIND DARYL! it commanded. Hallie thought about what should be her next move, if she should even make one or just sit tight and wait for someone to find her. No, that was not an option, she had no guarantee that anyone was even looking. If she had been as convincing as Shane had wanted, they wouldn't have been looking for them at all, other than in retaliation for what he did to Sophia. Certainly Daryl wouldn't have been concerned about her whereabouts. No, she knew better, she tried to tell herself. He had to realize that she didn't mean what she said. That she was lying to protect Sophia. Hallie needed desperately to believe that Daryl was still out there, looking for her.

Fuck this. She whispered. I'm not just sitting here with a dead guy. What if walkers smell all this blood? Hallie stood up and used the table to limp over to Shane's lifeless body. She bent down and almost lost her balance, catching herself by putting her hand on his shoulder. It made her shudder and she had to will herself not to look at his face, at his still-open eyes. She rummaged through his pockets until she found his keys. Crap, she thought. Stairs. She had to go upstairs and get his stuff. His guns, the walkie talkie. Anything else useful that he'd locked away in the bedroom.

She balanced herself upright again and made her way out of the kitchen, over to the stairs, using furniture and the wall to bounce along on one foot, wincing whenever she moved her knee. She sat down on the step and used her hands to push herself up to the next one. Again. Again. Up backwards, slowly, one stair at a time, her injured leg straight out in front, bumping each step. She had to stop halfway up and rest, dizzy. An hour passed. She was tired. She breathed deeply and forced herself to continue to the top step, where she swung around and pulled herself along the hallway to the locked master bedroom.

Hallie pulled herself up by the doorjamb, her cut fingers screaming at her as she gripped it to keep from toppling over, hopping on her good leg as she maneuvered the key into the lock. She opened it quickly. It was decorated nicely in dark green and navy, somewhat masculine. Somebody must not like pastels, she mused. She looked around, Shane's Mossberg, two pistols, a small rifle, ammunition, binoculars everything was neatly arranged on the dresser and a small desk. There was a walkie-talkie on the desk, as well. Hallie stuffed the smaller items into a small backpack hanging from a chair and picked up the shotgun and rifle and started to make her way to the main floor again. It was a long, painful trip down. She went step by step again, moving backpack and guns as she lowered herself down on her butt. When she hit the bottom stair, she stopped to rest and nearly blacked out.

Hallie forced herself to hobble back into the kitchen and get a drink. She shoved as many bottles of water into the backpack as it would hold, along with a bottle of aspirin she found sitting on the back of the sink. She had to make herself eat, her back turned away from the body on the floor. Jesus, this is beyond belief, she said out loud. There's a dead man on the floor and I'm makin' myself a sandwich. What kind of monster am I? She caught a glimpse of her face in the shiny chrome of the toaster oven and stopped cold. She looked like the monster she had just accused herself of being. Hallie Sweetie, she giggled, you need a little bit of concealer there. The double-vision that was coming and going only added to the fun-house mirror image that looked back at her. She frowned. No. I'm not the monster, she said loudly. I killed the monster.

XXXXX

Daryl raced up the two-lane to Norris Lake and the spot where the trail had ceased. Glenn was holding on for dear life, his fingertips white, digging into the plastic of the dashboard as he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.

Rick and T-Dog were behind in the van, taking it a bit more cautiously. Daryl was driving like a madman, careening in and out, tires squealing. They stopped where they'd left off yesterday and Rick pulled the van along side.

"What's the plan, Daryl?" Rick asked.

Daryl tapped his hands nervously on the steering wheel. "Look for houses under construction. Find the finished one. Gotta' be in this area. Norris Lake. Gotta' be here. We'll go east, you stay on this side." he said.

"Keep your walkie talkie on in case we find spot something." Rick reminded him.

Daryl sped off, looking for side roads, subdivisions, signs, anything that might lead him to her.

XXXXX

It was beginning to be light out now. Hallie watched out the front window for about an hour, waiting for any signs of walkers. There were none. Shane's theory was right-walkers out here were only occasional wanderers because there just weren't a lot of people around. The back-in-the-woods subdivision his sister had chosen to live in was not even complete yet. Her home had been the first one finished and then there had been a lull in the housing market. The other houses on the cul-de-sac were in the early stages of completion. No neighbors equaled no walkers. She strapped on the backpack and slung the two guns over her shoulder, her head throbbing, still seeing double to a large degree, and hobbled through the door with the aid of a broom for a makeshift crutch. She scooted down the back porch stairs and made for the outbuilding where Shane had locked the jeep.

It took Hallie another hour to cross the yard to the jeep and crawl in. Thank God it's an automatic, she thought. Shifting's a bitch even on a good day. She started the vehicle and rolled it down to the edge of the driveway. Shit, shit, shit, she said as a wave of nausea overtook her. She sat there for a while, breathing slowly, forcing herself to inhale...exhale...until it calmed. It never really did pass completely.

It hit her that she had not a clue as to where to go. No idea where she was. She knew that they had made a series of twists and turns when they had returned from town but she was not at all familiar with the area and her sense of direction was to say the least, fucked up right now.

She pulled the walkie talkie from the backpack and turned it on. She hit the call button and listened. Squealing, squelching white-noise. Nothing. She tapped the call button three times quick. "Hey Assholes. Come and get me." she said, holding the button down.

Silence. Hallie's heart sank. She leaned her forehead on the steering wheel and thought about which of the two roads to take in front of her. Shaking her head, she realized she was in no shape to drive. The double vision was still pretty strong, even if it was coming in waves now. She would be on unfamiliar roads, walker territory, lost, and not in the best condition to be driving. It was too dangerous for her to drive right now.

She shook her head and a tear rolled down and slid off, landing on her hand which clutched the bottom of the steering wheel near her lap. Hallie was tired. Bone-achingly, mind-numbingly tired. She pushed the play button on the c.d. and some loud, twangy kind of country music came on. She turned it up as loud as she dared, fearing it would attract the attention of any passing walker, just to try to keep from falling asleep. She forced herself to sing, mouthing words after the fact, making up her own at times. After every two or three songs, she would hit the call button on the walkie talkie. When the c.d. ended, she dug in the compartment between the seats for more c.d.s. She went through three more discs and finished a bottle of water, gulping down three or four more aspirin when the pain broke through the dull ache that was a constant in her head, her neck and throat, her cheekbone, her back and most of all her knee.

She hit the call button again, squee, squee, squee. "Guys, this is no way to treat a lady."

Hallie nearly dropped the walkie talkie when the scratchy voice on the other end said "Who ever said you're a lady?"

Hallie started crying immediately, sobbing big tears of relief, absolutely joy. "Daryl?" she said into the walkie talkie. "Is that you?"

"Where are you? Hallie, tell me where you're at."

"I...I don't know."

"Look around."

"I'm near Norris Lake. I think off the east side. In the woods. There's a house. I don't know."

"How long did you drive after you ran out of fish?" The voice changed. It was Glenn.

"Hi Kiddo! Ten or fifteen minutes. We turned off the highway to a road and then made another couple turns. There's no other houses around. This is the only one finished." Hallie was struggling to keep control while she talked. "You found my fish?" she said.

"Yeah, we found er' trail a' fish. Where tha' fuck didja' get pipe cleaners?" It was Daryl's voice again.

"It was all I had and they were bright. I knew you'd know it was me if you saw fish...and D's. That was for you. D. D for Daryl Dixon."

"We figured it out, Baby. Are ya' ok? Who's with ya'?"

Hallie's mind almost short-circuted. How could she tell them she'd killed Shane? She was unsure of their reaction, especially of Rick's. "I'm by myself. I'm...ok." she said slowly.

"Where's that fucker at? He's a fuckin' dead man." Daryl roared into the handset.

Hallie took a deep breath and pressed the talk button. "He's...in the kitchen." she said, her voice above a whisper.

Daryl had stopped the truck in the middle of the two-lane and was focused on the conversation now. "Where 'r YOU?" he asked quietly.

"In the jeep. At the end of the driveway. I...I can't drive right now."

"Why not?"

"I can't see straight. It'll be ok. I just need...some rest."

"Hallie, what tha' fuck is wrong? What did he do?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. Just please hurry. Please."

"Hallie, can you drive at all?"

"I dunno. I can try."

"Atta' girl. Go slow. Just keep goin'. Get on ta' a main road. We'll find ya'. I promise. Rick and Dog r' lookin' fer' ya' too. "

There was a squelching sound and another voice crackled over the device. "Hallie! Honey, it's so glad to hear your voice. Hang on. We'll find you. " It as Rick, speaking in his calm, law-officer, everything's-going-to-be-alright voice. Hallie was glad to hear that voice, but not nearly as much as Daryl's. "Hallie, what's causing you not to see straight? Can you explain that to us?"

"My head. I, uhm...hit my head. Double vision and it's really blurry. It's getting better. I think I can drive a bit." she said quietly. Yes, Hallie, you hit your head repeatedly on Shane's fist...and you were denting his sister's nice oak floor, too, she winced.

"Why's yer' head hurt?" Daryl's voice said, hard, angry. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Ok, I'm on the road. The compass says I'm going northeast."

"Hallie, what did he do to you?"

"Daryl, just drive. Shut up and drive, ok?" she said. "Please?"

"Ok, ok." he said, gripping the steering wheel so hard he nearly dented it. He looked at Glenn. "I find him, I'm gonna' fukin' kill him with mah' bare hands." he said, his voice icy.

There was about five minutes of silence as they all drove.

"Guys? I'm at an intersection. The sign says 'North 1450'." Which way should I go?"

"Stay there!" T-dog yelled. "We got ya! Daryl, we're on 1450 where it connects with Highway 33. We'll head east and find her. East side of the lake. We'll be there shortly. Hallie, hang on. Stay in the vehicle."

"Daryl." Hallie said softly. She had pulled the jeep halfway into the intersection and killed the engine. She put her head on the steering wheel and closed her eyes, crying. "Keep talking to me, ok?"

"Ok, Baby. Ok. Hang on. What 're ya' wearing?"

Hallie smiled at the implication of his question at a time like that. Only Daryl. "Jeans. Boots. Sweatshirt." her voice was quiet, like she drifting off to sleep.

"How's yer' hair?"

"Fucked up. Havin' a real bad hair day."

"Stay with me, Baby. You keep answerin' mah' questions, ok? Open your eyes 'n tell me what ya' see."

"An old gas station. Real old. Trees. A trailer. A walker. Oh, fuck, a walker." her voice went from sleepy to panic in a split second.

"Lock the door, Baby. Get down, don't let him see you."

"It's too late. I think he can smell me. He's coming straight over here."

"You got a weapon?"

"Yeah. Mossberg and a rifle...and all of Shane's handguns."

"Use tha' rifle. Aim fer' his head. Roll tha' window down just a little 'n blow that dead fucker ta' kingdom come soon as he's close enough."

Hallie screamed and there was the crack of a gunshot. Then another. Then the radio went silent.

"Hallie! Hallie!" Rick and Daryl were both screaming into the receivers now.

"Jesus that stinks." the soft voice came over the airwaves. "That's worse than a sheep farm."

"Are you ok?" Rick said.

"No. I'm not. I'm not going to be ok for a while. So you assholes better get here quick." She was wide awake now...and defiant.

Daryl looked at Glenn and shook his head. "Oh, and one more thing, Guys?" Hallie said. "I'm fucking hungry."

Daryl burst out laughing when he heard this. Big, deep belly laughs. "Fuckin' hilarious. Splatters a walker an' thinks about food." he said between laughs.

The next noise was Rick and T-Dog screaming over the walkie-talkie. "There she is. There's the jeep! Daryl, we got her. Man, we got her."

Daryl stepped on the old truck's accelerator and pushed it to the floor, the truck engine protesting then jerking them, throwing them down the two-lane as the numbers on the county road signs increased with each minute. Glenn called them out as they passed. "Dude, 900...1000...1050...1100...1200...two more miles...1300." Daryl drove the truck for another minute and slowed down a bit. Up ahead he could see something in the road. Two vehicles, a van and a jeep. He floored it again and drove right up to them, screeching the brakes, the tires leaving a trail of black rubber on the asphalt. He could see Rick and T-Dog standing by the driver's side door.

Daryl threw the truck into park and jumped out, the engine still knocking. He ran to the jeep as Rick and Dog stepped aside. Hallie was sitting sideways in the driver's seat, crying, one hand in her lap, the other gripping the steering wheel tightly. Her legs were hanging down limply. She was covered with dried blood down the front of her shirt and pants. Her hair was pulled back, messy and matted and she was bruised and cut on her arms and hands.

It was her face that frightened him the most as he approached. There was a deep gash on her cheek, surrounded by black and blue bruises. Her eye was black and blue and green, deeply bruised throughout the entire socket on that side. The cut underneath on her cheek was open, still oozing. There was an older cut on her temple. Her lip was split and swollen a bit. Her neck was a mass of dark blue and purple bruises as well. Daryl stopped, collecting himself a bit.

"Daryl, watch her leg." Rick warned, as Daryl moved closer. Hallie was wiping tears away with her hand, blood under her nails and staining her fingers.

"You look like shit, Hallie Jane." he said as he went to her, his hands moving to her head, kissing her hair softly, touching her shoulders lightly with this fingertips.

"You should see the other guy, Daryl Everett." she choked out a laugh as she said it and then started to sob, her hands moving around his neck. He held her for what seemed like forever, not knowing where to put his hands, afraid to touch her and bring her any more pain. She cried into his chest for several minutes hugging his neck tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she repeated.

"Shhhh...shhh..." he tried to calm her.

"I never meant any of it. It was all lies." she said, her lip quivering. "I had to-"

Daryl put his fingers to her swollen lip. "Shut up. It's all over. It's over." he whispered, gently replacing his fingers with his lips.


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok, Guys, thanks for everything. This was a blast to write and I'm glad so many you "alerted" and "favorited" it! It means the world to me, really!**

**Chapter 18**

Daryl gingerly lifted Hallie out of the jeep and laid her in the back of the van. She had cried out when her knee was moved and then he noticed she was biting her lower lip any time they jostled her. Daryl agreed reluctantly to let T-Dog drive his truck back to the camp while he sat in back of the van with Hallie.

Hallie told Daryl and Rick the whole story, including the fight in the kitchen. She fought back tears most of the way through. It was difficult for her and at times her memory seemed a bit fuzzy, but they were able to get most of the details. When they returned to camp, everyone was quiet, surrounding Hallie, greeting her with delicate hugs. Hallie sat on the picnic table, her injured knee supported by one of the bench seats. They listened to Daryl and Rick retell most of Hallie's account of the time with Shane. They were shocked to learn what had happened, but no one said anything negative - they'd had plenty of time to absorb what he'd done to Sophia and once she was returned, it was easy for them to accept that Hallie was an unwilling participant.

Lori hung back, a guilt-ridden look on her face. Carol kept holding Hallie's hand and rubbing it. Dale and Andrea looked Hallie over carefully. They checked Hallie's pupils and compared her other symptoms to those in Dale's medical book. Rest, lots of rest, was the apparent prescription. Rick and Daryl carried her to Daryl's tent and helped her to the bed, where Carol and Andrea took over, cleaning her up, washing her hair, getting her wounds dressed. It was a struggle to keep her awake at times so they kept her attention with their best dirty jokes and girl stories. It unnerved Daryl to hear raucous laughter from the tent, knowing that Hallie was in such pain.

"What tha' fuck're they doin' in there, Dale?" he looked at the older man as they both sat at the table, sharing a couple shots from a near-empty bottle of Jim Beam. "She needs to be restin'."

"Keeping Hallie awake, if I had to guess." he said.

"Ain't right." the scruffy man scowled. "She's hurt 'n they're in there cutin' up."

"Daryl, Son," Dale said gently, "sometimes laughter's the best medicine. Let them take care of her. She's going to be ok. She's got you."

Daryl looked down at his feet and nodded.

XXXXX

Lori brought in a bowl of canned stew and Hallie wolfed it down. She could barely look at Hallie and as Andrea and Carol excused themselves to go get Hallie some more clothes, she stayed behind.

"Lori, what's the matter?" Hallie asked, leaning her head back on a pillow.

"I'm just so sorry about all of this." the brunette said quietly. "I feel like it's all my fault."

"You didn't make Shane go off the deep end. I think he's been wound pretty tight from the get-go. Don't blame yourself."

"I can't help it."

"I know. But you gotta stop. It's over now."

Lori wrung her hands and fought back a tear. "I really didn't know." she said, looking straight at Hallie.

"I know you didn't." Hallie said, nodding. "How could you? I think Shane really thought Rick was dead too. Just let it go, Lori. It's all over."

The tall woman shook her head and smiled. They sat there in silence for a minute. "Need anything?" she asked.

"A ton of vicodin...but I'll settle for Daryl."

"Sure." She smiled. "You sure you can't have a couple shots to help you sleep better?"

"Positive. Aspirin's all. It's going away already, now that I'm back." Hallie smiled.

"Hallie?" Lori asked, turning from the door. "You didn't settle for Daryl. You made a smart choice. You got a good one." she smiled.

"I know. I got lucky too." Hallie said. "First try. I guess it's not really third time charm, is it?"

"I guess not."

XXXXX

Daryl slid his head into the tent and looked at Hallie. She was laying back on the pillows, half-propped up, covered in a quilt to her waist. Her bloody sweatshirt had been replaced with a loose gray t-shirt. Her hair was still damp, waves and curls spilling over the pillow and down her shoulders. Her eyes were closed. She looked a thousand times better now, but the lump in Daryl's throat was so hard to push swallow when he looked at her eye, her cheek, her neck.

He moved as silently as he could and laid down beside her, kissing her arm gently. "You ready to take a nap?'' he asked. "I think it'd be ok now.'

She opened her eyes and ran her hand through the hair over his forehead and down the side of his face. "God yes, but I'm afraid to." she smiled. "I'm afraid this is all a dream and I'll wake up back there with him."

"Ain't no dream. 's real. Yer' back where ya' belong."

"Where's that?" she said, yawning.

"Right here. With me." he kissed her gently.

"Daryl?"

"What now, Baby?"

"Can you have sex with a concussion?" she smiled.

"Nuh-huh." he said. "But when you're better, we'll fuck so hard we'll both have one."

XXXXX

Hallie laid back against Daryl's chest, her hair tickling his chin as they sat by the fire just after dark. He ran his hand down the length of her curls and buried in the thick mass at the base of her neck, rubbing her scalp, massaging her neck. She stretched her neck upwards and he kissed the side of her head, her temple, and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Ready?" he whispered.

"Um-hum." she said in a low voice. She leaned up as Daryl stood and he pulled her up, her hand snaking around his waist, his arms around her shoulders, helping her hobble on her good leg, keeping weight of the other. Halfway between the fire ring and tent she stopped to rest. "I fucking hate this." she said between her clenched teeth.

"I don't." he said, a broad grin started at one corner of his mouth and spreading across his face.

"What? I feel helpless. How can I not hate this?"

"I fuckin' love it." he said, rolling his eyes. "From this angle, I can see right down yer' shirt 'n watch yer' tits jiggle when ya' hop."

"Oh. My. God!" she laughed and smacked his ass with her hand. "You are such a pig."

"Yup." he said, gently picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way. When he got to the tent, he dropped his head to her chest and nuzzled her breasts. "Mmm. Sou-eee." he said as Hallie squealed and giggled.

XXXXX

Daryl laid Hallie on the mattress and sat back, looking at her. He licked his lips and looked down, biting at the skin on his nail.

"Ask me." she said.

"No."

"We haven't talked about it at all."

"Can't."

"He didn't. " she said quietly.

"Really?" Daryl looked at her and then looked back down.

"Really. It was weird. It wasn't like that. He kept saying he wanted to protect me."

"From what?

"Being abused. Like Carol."

Daryl cocked his head sideways and looked at her. "He thought I'd do that to ya'?

"He was sick, Daryl. He wasn't in his right mind. We both know that."

Daryl was quiet for a minute.

"I ain't never hit a woman in my life." he said, looking up at her, his eyes intently focused on hers. "I'd never hurt you."

"No. You wouldn't. I kept telling him that" she said, running her fingers along his arm, up and down, gently. "I believed that. I still do." He looked at her and she looked up, their eyes meeting. She opened her mouth to say something and he leaned in quickly, covering her lips with his, pressing gently at first, quickly moving his tongue inside. Hallie began to moan softly and withdrew suddenly, surprising Daryl.

"No?" Daryl said.

"No, not no. I just want to make sure first, that you know I didn't mean anything I said. I was so afraid he'd hurt Sophia and I knew if you figured it out, you'd try to come after us. He said he'd kill Sophia if I didn't make it real. I had to make it convincing." Hallie's eyes were closed now. "I had to make you hurt bad enough to not want to have anything to do with me anymore. To leave me alone so he wouldn't hurt her."

"I know, Baby. I know."

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

XXXXX

Hallie's eyes were closed, her lips apart slightly. She was moaning softly, her hands running through his hair, pulling, tugging gently, kneading his scalp as she moved her hips against him, pressing herself against his mouth. Daryl was making up for lost time, his mouth moving hungrily against her most sensitive parts. Long, lapping strokes, swirling, exploring every fold, every nook, darting from side to side, tongue flat then sharp and pointed. She threw her head back as he changed his pace and latched onto her center, sucking softly, teasing her with quick flicking movements, then slowly twirling circles. She whimpered as she moaned, his hands under her hips, pulling her wider, exploring deeper. She was breathing hard now, her diaphragm contracting, forcing her breath out hard on the exhale, quick and quiet on the inhale.

Daryl knew that making love to her tonight could be awkward, even painful for her. Her bruises were growing lighter with each passing day, cuts beginning to heal, but the damaged tendon in her knee was healing much slower than the other injuries. He took care to prop her knee and the rest of her leg up on a pillow, immobilizing it as best he could. He was so afraid that something he did, a twist, a bump, anything would cause her to be in pain.

Hallie's moans became low, throaty, closer together, indicating that she was near the edge. "Stop. Daryl. Stop." He peered up from between her legs, his deep blue eyes twinkling, ignoring her pleas. An arm covered her eyes, the other hand gripping the sheet tightly now, her foot planted flat on the bed beside his chest, her back arched slightly, pressing her further towards his mouth. "Baby stop. I don't wanna go like this." she panted.

"How can we..." he stopped the heavenly torture briefly, running his finger around the outside of her, now swollen, throbbing.

Hallie sucked in air through her clenched teeth and hissed. "I don't care if my fucking leg falls off. Get...up...in...there...NOW!" She reached down with her hands and pulled on his shoulders, frantic. "Fucking shit, Daryl, now!" she begged.

Daryl moved up and positioned himself over her, leaning on his hands and knees, completely ready. He went slow, inch by inch, watching her face for any sign that he was hurting her. Her top lip was curled under as she pressed both together. "Ohhhhhhhh God." she whined as he put his hands on her, moving her cautiously, as if she was delicate porcelain and would break with the slightest bump. He straddled her leg and brought her other leg carefully up on his hip trying to keep her balanced, keep her from putting pressure on her knee. He studied her face and began to move inside her, watching her, her eyes closed, watching her pulse throb on the side of her neck, her eyelashes flutter and her lips open slightly as she wet her bottom lip with her tongue, back and forth.

Daryl thought it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, going slow like that. Had she not been injured, he would have pulled the truck over on the way back and had her right then and there, quick, dirty, all hands and mouths and tongues, right there in the front seat. He wouldn't have even cared if the others could see them through their rear-view mirrors at that point. It had been too long since they were together.

"You ok?' he asked slowly, quietly.

"Mmm-hummm." Hallie said, opening her eyes. "This is the best."

"Knee ok?"

"I have knees?" she smiled dreamily.

Daryl grinned and began to pick up the pace a little more. He lowered his forehead to hers, kissing her gently, tenderly, his lips barely touching the bruises near her eye, on the side. He was surprised to find the whole going-slow thing now quite enjoyable, moving gently, rocking back and forth, really feeling what it was like as he moved within her, inch by inch. They stayed this way for what seemed like forever, until he realized that she was looking back at him.

"Are you..."

"Gettin' there...are you?" he nodded.

"Oh, God yes, Daryl, go."

Daryl grabbed Hallie's hip and rocked on his knees now, faster, her foot flat against his chest. Daryl didn't know how that wasn't hurting the other knee but she wasn't complaining and so neither was he. "Jee-sus Christ" he moaned loudly as he came suddenly, unexpectedly. "Holy shit!" as his hands moved to either side of her shoulders, pushing himself up as he arched his back, driving himself into her with a shudder, causing her to tremble as she came at the same time. "Where the fuck did THAT come from?"

He looked down at Hallie, the back of her hand over her mouth, stifling a small scream, eyes clamped shut, back arched, her other hand wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life. She dropped her arm from his neck and propped herself up on elbow. "Oh my GAWD!" she said loudly. "Dixon, that was unbefuckinglievable!" She dropped back on the bed and started to giggle. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, still panting for breath.

He moved to lay beside her, kissing down one shoulder. "You ok?"

"Nuh-huh." she said, turning to him, twisting awkwardly, leaving her knee on the pillow behind her still. "I am not ok. I am not even here right now. I think maybe I'm still on the moon." she smiled. "Are you?"

"Yup."

"See, Daryl, that's what I love about you." she said, propping her head up with her hand.

"What?" he said, pulling a strand of hair off her shoulder, running his fingers down the length of the stand and curling it around her breast.

"Everything."


End file.
